Last GoodBye
by CandiGal
Summary: Just what it says. This is no longer a ONE-SHOT! Thanks to all of the reviews, and comments, I've decided to turn it into a story! Plz R/R!
1. Last Goodbye Chapter 1 RPOV

**This is a story that came to me when I was listening to a song -cliché, yeah I know.**

_'Out Of Goodbyes'_** by Maroon 5, was the song.**

**I had to write this, so I could get it out of my head. It was giving me a bad case of writers block.**

**Anyways, I should be updating my other stories soon!**

**much love,**

_**~~~Carmen~~~**_

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_**RPOV**_

_Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, _eleven of them. One from each royal families, excluding the Dragomir's. The judge delivered the last one.

_Guilty._

That one word was ringing through my head like a clock in a bell tower; delivering a heavy hum throughout my entire body.

My fate was sealed, I was damned. I would die in 12 hours time. I was allowed 2 hours of visitor time to say my _good-byes_, but I declined. I had to leave them shortly, and I didn't want their last memory of me being locked in a jail cell.

No. I would not let that happen.

I wasn't sad; I was too numb to have that emotion within me. I had to come terms of my imminent death months ago.

Mikhail was the Guardian assigned to watch over me the remaining time that I had left in this world. There was also one other guardian with him. They would alternate with one another. We were walking, well, I was being led back to my jail cell.

The night air was fresh and crisp. It felt good to my skin to have the wind caress my face. It had been so long since I had had fresh air. It was intoxicating. The moon was hanging high in the night sky, with a million star's dancing and twinkling above me. I came to an abrupt stop and Mikhail turned to see what the problem was.

I looked him in the eyes and started pleading, "Cant we just sit out here for a while? No one is around." I looked just to make sure I was right. "Please, Mikhail? Just for a little while. It has been so long. So, so long. I just want to have a little peace." Tears were starting to well up in my eyes.

He looked at me with sorrow filled eyes. He had been in the process of taking me back to my cell, my brick prison. Myy living hell of a life.

"I'm sorry, Rose. My orders were to bring you right back. I am so sorry." His voice was filled with the sadness that his eyes portrayed. He proceeded to lead me inside the hell-hole. After locking the cage, he took up residence along the wall, avoiding my eyes at all cost.

The other guard came to relieve Mikhail so he could take his break. Mikhail walked down the corridor, then I heard a door slam, filling the corridor with a loud '_bang_'.

None of the Guardian's that were assigned to watch over me believed that I had actually done it. None of them thought me as someone insane enough to kill their beloved Queen. All of them treated me humanely.

They would keep me updated on the latest happenings around court -and beyond. Almost everyone of them would bring me the kinds of food that I liked to eat at the start of their shift. They all offered words of kindness and encouragement. I received numerous apologies, but I knew it wasn't their fault.

Someone had done a number on me. I was going to pay the ultimate price for their horrendous crime.

I tried to look at it like as if I was being punished for releasing public enemy #1.

Victor Dashkov.

That was a little helpful, but then my thoughts went back to my friends and family. How was Lissa going to cope without me there to take the darkness from her? Will she go mad? Insane? Have to be locked in a mental ward like Tarasov in a few short years due to the side effects of spirit?

How was Adrian going to cope? Drink himself to death? Lose all touch of reality?

What about my mom? It's not like she would really miss me, seeing as she had never been a big part of my life to begin with. But still?

What about the dad that just entered my life? Would he miss me even though we hardly knew each other?

And last but not least, my mind drifted to Dimitri.

Dimitri. The man I would walk through hell's fire for.

I know he said he doesn't love me, but the signals he was giving me when I was arrested, then the hearing, told me that he really did love me. Could he move on and be happy, finally?

Then that leaves the note Tatiana entrusted to me. Who could I give it to so that they could fulfill it for me? Who would be as dedicated to Lissa like I'd been all my life? Who could I trust that greatly?

I heard a commotion coming from the office of the holding cell, bringing me out of my reverie.

"Belikov," the guard barked. "No visitors! She does not want to talk to _anyone! _We will honor her wish! She is, after all, one of us. She is not just some animal! She does deserve some kind of respect, you know! We will not go against her wishes. Now, please leave, before you get arrested!" The guard sounded exasperated.

There was a moment of silence, then I heard Dimitri's booming voice.

"Well, then. Arrest me. Don't you have to put me in a cell back there?"

I knew what he wanted. He wanted to get arrested so he could occupy a cell next to mine. The thought of him getting arrested just to see me brought a smile to my lips and warmed my heart immensely.

"Come on! Arrest me!" he challenged, voice sounding dangerous.

The door opened that connected the cell to the office.

"Please. Just leave. You're not getting back there even if we _did_ arrest you. You would be held in a separate part of the building."

The guard sounded weary. Like he had be having the same conversation for hours. By all accounts he probably had. But I knew he was not going to budge on the issue. All of the guardians that I had came into contact during my stint in jail, respected me like I was still one of their peers. An equal in their eyes.

I saw that it was Hans who was coming down the hall. He reached my cell and pulled out a large key ring with a hundred keys on the thing.

"Rose, I heard you wanted to get some fresh air." He opened my cell door. He gave me a sympathetic smile, and his eyes showed grave sadness in them.

I just sat there, dumbfounded. "I, uh yeah, I did. But Mikhail said I couldn't."

It had been months that I had just been sitting in this cell seeing the cold, concrete, and metal cage. I was not allowed outside access unless I was walking to and from the courtroom. That was the only time I could be outside in the fresh fall air.

You don't know what you got till it's gone. If I would live a thousand more years I would never take one thing for granted again. But sadly, my life was on a timeline. A very short timeline that would end in just a few, short hours.

A wicked smile spread across Hans' lips. "Whatever I say, goes. And I say let's go. You and I are going to take a walk."

It was hard to wrap my head around the scene that was playing out in front of me. "Wo….wont you get in trouble?" My voice was squeaky.

He laughed a little, then beckoned me with his finger. "I am in charge of the Guardian Council. So no, Rose, I wont. Come on, lets get out of here for a little while. I'm sorry, but I do have to cuff you."

"Playing the rebel now are we, Hans?" I half heartedly joked.

He smiled, a thin tight-lipped smile, but it didn't touch his dark eyes. "Something like that, Hathaway. Now, come on. Let's blow this joint."

I contemplated what he was telling me. Some small part of me was feeling guilty for Hans doing this for me, but then the other part wanted to get the hell out of there for a little while.

"Okay," I said after a moments hesitation. I got up and walked over to the large metal door frame that was still ajar. Hans pulled out his handcuffs, and I put my hands together in front of me to give him access so he could snap them on.

I could still hear some arguing coming from the holding cell office. It sounded like there was more than one person in there arguing with the guard. I didn't want to hear anymore.

"How am I going to get past without them," I nodded my head toward the office, "seeing me leave out the door?"

Hans' face turned into a sly mask. "Guardian secrets, Rosemarie."

He clinked the cuffs and led me to a back entrance at the end of the short hallway. He opened the door that led to a garden that was almost secluded from the rest of the court. You would have to be really, _really_ tall in order to see over the hedges.

"Seclusion, Rosemarie. All the privacy you want is right here." He swept his hands out in front of him, gesturing the garden that lay before of us.

It was a breath taking view. Flowers of every different variety were planted here and there. In the center of the rows was a fountain standing in as the focal point to this beautiful place in front of me.

Blues, reds, yellows, and purple flowers made two scattered rows; causing a pathway to walk down.

I walked over to a bench that was right in the middle of the garden. This place was gorgeous.

It kind of reminded me of an old movie that I had seen once. It was one that had a secret entrance leading to a garden that was in disarray until a little girl had found the entrance. Then her and a friend brought the garden back to life.

Hans and I sat there in companionable silence. He was just letting me enjoy the last time I would see the outside world -while still in this body. We sat there for a long, long time before I broke the silence.

"Do you believe in reincarnation, Hans?" I asked at last, dropping his guardian title. There were no need for formality now. My voice was soft spoken, and for a few minutes I didn't think that he had heard me at all.

I dragged my gaze from the winking stars and cast a glance his way. He stood there looking deep in thought. After a few minutes, he let out a deep breath, then answered.

"I do, Rose. And I also believe there is some higher power at work around us," he said solemnly.

I was flabbergasted. I didn't expect that from him of all people. What he had just said was deep. Really deep. Who would have thought that the big, rough, tough, stoic exterior, head of the Guardian Council, Hans Croft, ran that deep? Not me, for sure. I was shell-shocked.

I sat there in stunned silence watching the stars dance in and out in the distance. Every now and then I would look over at Hans.

One time I caught him wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. I looked away before I had been busted. I didn't want to put him in an awkward position; not after he had been so kind to me. So I just watched the moon and the stars, while letting the wind kiss my skin. Soaking up all it had to offer me.

_And then it happened._

I was suddenly sucked into Lissa's head. Something that had not happened in a very long time without me wanting it to.

"_What do you mean, 'she wont let us in?'"_ She was arguing with the guard on duty in the front office; Adrian and Dimitri flanking her. She was trying to get the guard to look her in the eyes. She wanted to use compulsion on him. But he was smart enough not to look either of the Moroi in the eye.

"_I demand to see her! Now!" _She was fuming. Her face was getting heated from the anger. Lissa was trying to push her weight -and the fact that she was a _Royal Moroi- _around. She was not going to take no for an answer. She was way beyond being infuriated; there was no reasoning with her in that state.

Adrian started arguing along side her. Dimitri walked out the door, slamming it hard. I pulled myself from Lissa's head. Her emotions were flying high; they were all over the place.

I wanted to get my mind off of my loved ones that were fighting to see me. But first I had one thing I had to take care of.-

"Hans, can you do a favor for me?" I asked, taking a deep breath, trying to relax a little.

He looked at me with sorrow filled eyes. "Yes, Rose, I will."

I pulled out the letter that I had received from the queen with trembling hands.

I had put it in another envelope that was sealed so he could give it to Dimitri. I didn't want him to have it till my execution was over. I didn't want him to start in on the whole, _this-can-save-you,- _bit. That secret had to stay that way. A secret.

I knew I could put my trust in Dimitri to do what must be done.

I also knew he wasn't one to open his mouth to anyone. So yeah. If I could trust anyone, it would be him. I had also left him, Lissa, and Adrian a note in it. One last goodbye.

"I need you to give this to Dimitri for me. Can you?" I looked up as he approached me.

He walked up to me with his hand outstretched toward me.

"Yes, I will. Don't worry. I'll make sure he gets it," he said softly. This was a new and rare side of Hans Croft that I'm sure not many people had seen before. The softer side of him.

I nodded my head in thanks. "I put my nazar and my chotki in there too. Can you make sure that Lissa gets those for me?"

He nodded his head slowly. "Yes, don't worry about it. I got it covered for you."

Just then, I heard a sound coming from behind me, and by the look on Hans' face, he did too. Hans gasp, and I turned to see what was going on. Just as I turned I saw Dimitri part one of the hedges and walk through it.

My eyes widened in shock. _No, no, no. I didn't want this to happen! Shit!_

"Roza." His voice was soft; so was his facial expression. He looked pained, grief stricken. He slowly started approaching me. Hans kicked into action, placing his body between Dimitri and me.

"Leave, Belikov. _Now!_" Hans barked.

I stood up and walked to Hans' side, resting one of my hands on his shoulders. "No, it's alright. He's here now. I will talk to him."

Hans looked at me like he was asking '_if I was sure_.' I nodded to him, then he backed up to the doorway again, giving Dimitri a pointed look.

He was trying to give us as much privacy as he could with the little space he had to work with.

"Roza, my sweet, sweet Roza." He closed the distance between us in just a few strides. He enveloped me into a strong hug. "I love you so much. I cant lose you. I cant. _I wont!"_ I let him hold me so he couldn't see the tears that were betraying me. They were starting to fall down my cheeks, leaving wet streaks on my face.

He held me for a long, long time. Not as long as would have liked. Say like the_ rest of my life_ long. We were just standing there with our bodies pressed firmly against each other.

"Dimitri," I murmured into his chest. "I love you, too. I always have and I always will. But you do need to move on with your life. For me, please? Just live a happy one. One filled with peace." I could feel his tears falling into my hair. I didn't move, and neither did he.

"Oh Roza, I am so sorry I lied to you. I love you with every fiber of my being. I would die for you. I _need _you!"

I pulled out of the embrace, leading him to a grassy opening in the garden, and we sat down. I laid back, looking upward at the rising sun, feeling it's warmth brushing my face.

Dimitri followed suit, and laid down beside me, putting his arm around my waist; snuggling me closer to him. There was not even enough space between us to fit a hair; I was not complaining about the nonexistent space.

He was holding me tight, like I would just vanish if he didn't. And I was holding on for dear life -so to speak. We sat there in silence. We didn't need any conversation to portray how we felt, our soul connected just that deeply.

I don't know how long we lay there, I had fell asleep in my love's arms. His heartbeat had lulled me into a deeply welcomed slumber. One that I had not had in all the months that I had been locked up. One that I had welcomed with open arms.

When I woke, Dimitri had his face buried in my hair, silently crying. His shoulders were slumped into me as they shook violently. I stayed there holding him wordlessly. I didn't know if he knew that I was awake or not. If he did know, then he just didn't care if he cried in front of me. I wanted to comfort him, just hold onto his warm body.

It felt good to have him hold me again, even if it was only for a little while. Unmasked tears flowed freely down my face, causing wet tracks as they did. I didn't want to appear weak in front of anyone, but something about being with Dimitri made me not care about my reputation so much. I was expressing my sorrow over losing him -not my life. I had come to terms of losing my life months ago. I had never come to terms with losing the love of my life -and I knew I never would.

The sun was up in all it's glory. I felt Hans' approach from behind me. I knew my time was over. Hans had given me the best gift possible. He had given me time with my soul mate.

_Time. It is priceless, yet it is free._

I had remembered that saying from something I had heard in one of my class's at the academy. But, time wasn't free to all of us. I was about to pay the price that cost me that very thing.

More time to breath.

More time to be with Dimitri.

More time to find the real killer.

More time to find Lissa's sibling.

Yes, I was about to pay for it with my life.

"Rose," Hans spoke from right behind us. He had been standing at the door the whole time I had been out here. "Rose, It's time to go. I'm sorry," he said gently.

Dimitri growled. Litterally. "No! No, you aren't taking her." He was on his feet in a flash. "You will not take her from me!"

I stood up beside him and rested my palm against his cheek. "Take care of yourself, please? And take care of Lissa for me, too." There were tears falling from both of our eyes. "I have to go. I love you, always, always will. Remember that. I love you." I reached up and brushed my lips with his.

He wound his hands around my waist, pulling me to him in a bone crushing embrace.

"Roza, I cant lose you. Not when I just got you back. I am so sorry that I took you for granted for so long. I love you so much," he whispered.

His voice was hoarse from crying. "I love you. I cant lose you. I need you to survive." He took my lips with his own, and filled them with passion. My whole body heated up from my head to my toes.

These last few hours with him had been bittersweet. I cherished the love he had bestowed on me. He would always remain the love of my life. Remain the love of my whole existence.

I broke the kiss and looked into the depths of his eyes, brushing my shackled palm against his cheek again once more. "You will go on, Dimitri. You will go on for my sake. I love you," I whispered in my own broken voice.

I had a river of tears flood my eyes, threatening to break forth at a moments notice. I didn't want to leave him with that image of me.

"Good-bye, my love." I stepped out of his embrace, leaving him standing there sobbing, and joined Hans again.

With one last look over my shoulder, I saw my Russian God crumble.

His knees gave way and he hit the ground, writhing in agony.

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_**Like? No like?**_

_**~~~Carmen~~~**_


	2. Author Note

**A/N **

**I HOPE EVERYONE LISTENED TO _'OUT OF GOODBYES' BY MAROON 5. _**

**It was the song that inspired this story. It so fits what is going on in there.**

**So if you haven't, then please do so, and let me know what you think.**

**I need to know who would read this, if I made it into a story?**

**Who thinks this is a perfect ONE SHOT, and not continue it?**

**And, who just want the POV from Rose's friends'?**

**I'm seriously thinking of making this into more than a ONE SHOT, if I get a lot of responses.**

**So, lemme know what you guys want.**

**Also, check out my other stories, if you like my writing that is!**

**Much lurve,**

_**~Carmen**_


	3. Chapter 2 Lissa's Sorrow

_**By no means do I think that this is how Last Sacrifice is going to go.**_

_**This is just a story out of my twisted mind!**_

**I'm going to do this Disclaimer for the whole story, 'cause I tend to forget to do it.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE ACADEMY, NOR IT'S CHARACTERS.**

**Okay guys, you asked for it! Now, don't disappoint me!**

**You better review! I did this story just for you guys!**

**I can stop writing and no one would know how this story turns out!**

***EVIL LAUGH***

**Happy reading! Enjoy my imagination!**

**Much love,**

_**~Carmen~ ;)**_

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_**Chapter two...**_

_**LPOV**_

We, meaning Adrian, Dimitri, and I, had been standing and banging on the courthouse doors for the last 20 minutes.

Rose's execution was closed to the public. They wouldn't even let in the council. The one's that had rendered the _Guilty_ verdict.

I knew she didn't do it, but the evidence against her had been damning. The only way we could have saved her was to find the real killer. Something all of us had tried doing all the long month's that she had been locked up.

We all had pooled our resources, which of course, all of them had came up blank.

Abe had organized a _prison break_, but it fell through.

None of us could come up with another way to rescue her. The guardian's that were keeping a vigilant watch over Rose had never once looked us in the eyes so that we could use compulsion on them.

We were out of options.

We were also out of time.

And now my best friend was going to lose her life for something she had no part of.

"_Open this Goddamn door! You filthy bastards! Open this damn door!" _Adrian was losing it.

His voice was hoarse from all the screaming and pleading he had been doing over the course of the day. He had been wearing the same clothes for the last three days.

I knew he hadn't slept, ate, or fed today. And it wouldn't surprise me if he hadn't done it the last few days, either. He had dark circles under his eyes, and looked as if he had aged a decade over the last few hours.

He hadn't had a drink -surprisingly- for the last week. He had wanted to make sure his magic was in check just in case he had to use compulsion, or bring Rose back from the land of the dead. I didn't tell him that I personally didn't think he could wield his magic, his healing magic, that strongly. I knew he couldn't bring Rose back.

_But I could. If they would just let me get near her afterwards._

I would do anything to bring Rose back. I would give up my life for hers. I knew she was suppose to protect me, but I felt compelled to sacrifice my life for hers. I loved her so much.

So, here I was, banging and shouting right along side of Dimitri and Adrian. The son-of-a-bitches wouldn't let us in.

And Dimitri.

He looked way worse than Adrian did. He truly looked like a tortured soul. A zombie. A walking, talking, zombie. His eyes were dark and haunted. He kept shouting, Roza, over and over again. His body was shaking violently. He had stopped banging on the doors with his fist, and had resorted to trying to kick the things in -but they were too well built.

We would need a battering ram, or a vehicle, to bust them down.

He kicked over and over again, but not making any head way. All he did ended up doing was breaking a few bones in his hand. He had blood oozing out of the gashes that he had caused to his skin. He wouldn't let me heal him, neither. Something that I had tried to make him let me do. But he wouldn't.

Tears were falling freely down his face, all of our faces, but he didn't act like he really cared about that right now. Not when Rose was about to die. He might had told Rose to go away and that he didn't want to see her, but right now if she were here, he would fight till his soul bled -just for her.

He had had several shouting matches with the council and the guardian's that were keeping her locked up. He had even punched one of the guards that was on duty in the office of the holding cells.

They didn't lock him up, though. Guardian Croft wouldn't allow it. He had just told Dimitri to get the hell out of the office and not to come back -again.

Dimitri didn't listen to his advice. He did go back.

_A lot._

_Like every hour. _

He came up with a new excuse to get himself locked up in a cell next to Rose. Adrian and he, had came up with a ploy to get locked up.

They had acted like they had actually gotten in a fight, Dimitri on top of Adrian, with him pummeling Adrian over and over. He was hitting him with great force.

It didn't work.

The guardian's just split the two of them up and told them to go their separate ways. Adrian had a lot of bruises and a black eye. I had to heal his injuries. Thank God _he_ had let me.

I think Dimitri could've committed every crime in the book, excluding murder, and not get locked up for it. All of them knew what he was trying to pull, and they all felt sorry for him.

As did I. But right now was not the time to comfort anyone. We needed to get in there and save Rose's life.

"_Open this fucking door, assholes. Now!" _I croaked. My voice had gave way a long time ago.

I felt like my insides were being shredded to pieces. I could handle a lot of things, but this? This was incomprehensible. My best friend, my sister, was losing her life.

Maybe at this very moment. And here I was yelling at her killers, her murderers, cause quite frankly, that is what they were. Killing an innocent. Someone who would lay down her life for theirs.

They made me sick. All the Moroi made me sick.

The Moroi, well, mostly the _Royal Moroi,_ had been rejoicing all day long, because their late queens _murderer_ was being put to death for high treason. I wanted them to pay. All of them, including the majority of the dhampirs. I wanted to torture their souls, making them beg for mercy. Then start torturing them all over again. Use a little _supercompulsion_ on them like I did on Jesse when he tortured me for not wanting to join his little gang.

_Only way worse._

I wanted them to feel their worst nightmare a thousand times over. Yes, I wanted to hurt everyone at court -and then some.

I felt the darkness building up in me, and if I wasn't careful, it would soon overtake me. I wanted it to. I wanted to kill the ones who had hurt her. Even if they hadn't meant to cause her pain, I wanted them to feel her pain and my grief.

She hadn't let anyone visit her in jail. I didn't understand her reasoning, but knowing Rose, it was because she didn't want us to see her locked up. Shielding the ones that she loved till her very last breath she had in her; so it didn't cause them pain in the long run. It was a twisted sense of logic, but I bet it made perfect sense to her.

My hand was bloodied, battered, and bruised from all the banging and knocking I had been doing all day. My efforts were to no avail. My protest's had been ignored right along with all of my friends' words and actions. They had fell on deaf ears.

"Lissa," Christian had appeared behind me, speaking softly in my ear. He had been stuck to my side ever since Rose had been arrested.

I knew he was worrying about me, but I just couldn't leave her. Even though they would not let us in, I just couldn't bring myself to abandon her. I felt him put a hand on my shoulder. "Lissa, come on, babe. You need to get some rest."

I spun around to face him. "How can you even say that when Rose is being put to death, Christian? Don't patronize me!" I shouted at him.

I saw my own grief mirrored in his eyes. "I'm not," he said defensively. "I'm sorry, Liss, but I don't think Rose would want you to become this, this…" his words trailed off. I knew what he was getting at. At the moment, I didn't care what I could've became. I just wanted to get to her. Get to her, and bring her back to me.

I shook my head. "How can I go on without her, Christian, How?" I whispered. "How can I keep breathing without her? Tell me that? How. Can. I! She is all I have." By the time I reached the end of my little rant, my words were barely a whisper.

Christian put his arms around me, and I leaned into him for support. I sagged into his embrace. I was sobbing uncontrollably. My body had lost all of its fight. He was right, Rose wouldn't want me to do this. I was falling apart at the seams.

I suddenly felt some of the darkness leave me. I don't know how, being that Rose was suppose to already be executed. But I was thinking clearer suddenly. Not all of the darkness had vanished, though. I could definitely feel that some of it was gone, however.

Christian nuzzled his face into my neck, kissing the skin there. "No, babe, you have me to lean on. I love you, Liss. Rose would want you to go on living. I know how much she loved you. She wanted to protect you. You were given a gift in life; the gift of having Rose as your friend. She made a difference in people. She made a difference in you. Just when you needed her, she was there for you. Now you need to honor her, and not torture yourself any longer. We did the best we could given the circumstances."

He took a breath before continuing, "She came to me after we got back from the warehouse and told me not to ever leave you again. She knew how much we loved each other, and that we were making a big mistake for not overcoming our stupidity; and that we needed to get back together. She kind of threatened me, actually."

I laughed at the thought of Rose threatening Christian. I could picture her doing just that. Typical Rose-Logic. "How bad did she threaten you?" I said in between sobs.

He pulled away and lifted my chin so I could look him in the eyes. "Lets just say, you like the body part she threatened to dismember from me." He lifted his thumb to my face, and wiped the tears that were streaming down it away. "Come on, babe, you need some food and you need to feed."

I reluctantly let him lead me away from the courthouse, even though I would do neither of those things he had offered me. I had no appetite, nor did I want to feed. I knew as soon as I closed my eyes, the nightmare that had plagued me over these last few months would make an appearance.

So no, I didn't want none of the things that he had wanted for me to do. I took one last look at the two men that were still standing and banging on the door. Screaming at the top of their lungs.

_God help us_. _All of us need You right now._

I sent up a silent prayer to whomever was listening in heaven above.

All the morons we passed along the way, were talking about what was happening to Rose.

"Ignore them, Liss," Christian said. He had his arm draped over my shoulder leading me to our destination.

My hands were balled up into tight fist. They were clenched so hard my nails were biting into my skin, causing them to bleed.

The pain felt good. It helped me to concentrate on that instead of the ignorant bastards that I was seeing. I blatantly stared at all of them. I gave them the look of hatred as I passed, wishing that everyone of them would fall over dead. Each and everyone of them turned from my eyes, and acted like I was not even there.

_Oh yes, they were definitely going to pay a high price for their ignorance._

All of them disgusted me. I hated each and every one of them that I had strode passed. I wanted the whole court to pay. None of them could, or would, meet my eyes. I think deep down they knew she didn't do it; but they were too much of a coward to stand up for a dhampir.

They needed to _pay. _

_Pay dearly, _for what had been done to my best friend. Maybe I couldn't do it right away, but one day._ One fucking day!_

One day I would get my revenge. They all would pay a high price for what they had done to her. They would beg for death when I was done. And if, no, _when_ the real killer was uncovered, well, let's just say this, _they definitely didn't want to cross my path_.

* * *

**And there you have it, from Lissa's POV!**

_**I love the dark side of Lissa!**_

**How do you like it so far?**

**All of you, twisted my arm and made me write this, so yeah, REVIEW!**

_**~~Carmen~~**_


	4. Chapter 3 Adrian's thoughts

_**Here ya go, guys! **_

_**Hope all of you like it. This is Adrian's POV**_

_**I have to write with music in order to make my words flow correctly.**_** Music helps me bring out the...emotions better.**

**The tune's for this chapter are: **

'_Slipping Away'_

'_With Me'_

'_So Long Goodbye' __**All three by**__: Sum 41_

**In that order**_** throughout the whole chapter. You will know when there is a shift in music.**_

_**I **_**want to take the time and thank all of you for your wonderful and encouraging reviews!**

**You guys are the reason that I'm still writing. Without you, writing wouldn't be half as rewarding!**

**So, THANK YOU!**

**Much love,**

_**~~~Carmen~~~**_

* * *

_**APOV**_

Dimitri and I stood at the courthouse banging on the door 'till after dawn. We had tried everything to free Rose. We tried to save her from being punished for another's crime. It felt like my heart would surely stop beating the moment hers did.

I couldn't fathom a life without Rose being in it.

_My little dhampir._

_Gone forever._

My life would be an empty shell of its former self. I blamed myself for not being able to save her. I should've tried harder. I should have told them it was _me_ who had killed my great aunt. I would've gladly taken her place and endured the punishment that befell her.

But no. I didn't. And now she was dead, all because of me.

Some '_Prince Charming'_ I was.

_'Hero'._

Whatever in the hell you want to call it. Whatever it was, I was not.

I finally quit pounding on the door and just sagged down against it. Leaning against the wooden doors with my knees drawn up to my chest. My arms wrapped around them, my head resting on the back of my hands.

I sat there feeling very defeated. I had never experienced this emotion I had rumbling around in my stomach before. I didn't even know how to classify it. It was a thousand times more painful than any type of hurt I had ever come across in my entire life.

Then again, I had never been in love before, either.

I wanted to wither up and die right there on the courthouse steps. Surely the world would quit turning without Rose in it?

_It just had to. _

It should spin right off it axis and hurtle right into deep space.

Meteors should crash down upon us this very minute.

The cosmic balance should be outta whack.

I was expecting the Four Horsemen to come riding along any given minute.

Plagues and locust should be running rampant all around us.

The apocalypse should be beginning within the hour.

My world had crumbled down before me. There was a hole driven right though my heart. A hole that was driven right through my soul.

I was empty. Drained. I had nothing left to live for. She was gone.

The best friend I could possibly have known was gone. I knew she wouldn't be with me forever, but I never thought I would lose her like this.

I always had the vision of her leaving, but still visiting court every now and then. I wasn't stupid, nor naive enough to think that we would be together forever. Not as a couple. But I always knew in my heart that we would remain life long friends.

Losing her like that seemed like a fantasy right now. A wet dream even.

She was gone for good now, though. She was dead.

_Dead._

I felt someone sit down next to me. I didn't raise my head to see who it was. I knew who was sobbing right beside me. He was hurting just as much as I was.

I was crying, just as he was. Dimitri and I had been in love with the same woman. The only difference was, she was in love with him, not me.

If I could bring her back, I would gladly step aside and let her and him be together without my intervening. Just as long as she was alive and safe. I loved her that much.

As long as I could count on her being a friend, yes, I would not even make any sexual advances toward her. No innuendoes. Ever. I could give all of that up if she were alive and safe. I would just treat her as a good friend.

Sitting there thinking of her brought back the last time we had danced together. I didn't know why that popped into my mind. It just did. We were dancing to a not fast, yet not slow, song.

We were really out of beat with it, but neither of us cared. It was a song by _Sum 41_, called '_With Me'_.

The song fit our relationship so perfectly. She was my reason for living. My reason for breathing

_**Flashback**_

_We were at a party here at court. She didn't want to go, of course. But me being me, I challenged her with a game. _

_I had a scheming mind. I knew she would crack before I did. That's the only reason I made the bet. _

_If she could go the whole day without cursing she would win. And therefore, wouldn't have to go to the party with me. If I went without a smoke or a drink I would win. If she won the bet, I had to take her to Cancun for the weekend, along with a very expensive shopping trip so she could buy clothes for a trip that she would never take. _

_I readily agreed. I was still planning on taking her even if she did lose. The thought of having Rose to myself for a whole weekend sounded like heaven on earth to me. I didn't expect no less from her; she was my personal angel on earth. _

_The first one to break the rules would lose. We never figured out if we both went without our vises who would win. 'Cause she swore not even an hour after the bet was agreed on._

_I started preparing for the approaching party. _

_I bought her a red silk dress with spaghetti straps. It came a few inches above her knees, and had a sheer material attached to the waist that went down around her hips, all the way to her ankles. Draping her lower half like a cape for hips, with a slit in the center causing a gap. It showed off her legs well. Really well. The material had glitter sparkling in the light._

_My mouth dropped when I saw her in it._

_I had bought her a silver necklace in the shape of a V that had seven diamonds in it. The diamond in the middle was huge, not gaudy huge, the perfect size to compliment her cleavage. With smaller diamonds that were on each side of the larger one tracing the V._

_I bought her some dangling, silver earrings with a rose that sat on her lobes. The rose's had a diamond encrusted in the center of them. The dangling thingies hanging from the rose's had diamonds attached to the ends of them._

_She had silver, three inch high heel shoes on. That made her already muscular legs look even more sexier -if possible. _

_Her dark hair was in a French twist, gathered at the back of her pretty little head. She hardly wore any make-up. She didn't need it. She had a beautiful complexion. She looked drop dead gorgeous. Stunning. _

_She actually took my breath away. I was proud and honored to be the one who had her arm intertwined with._

_We had gotten a lot of stares from the Royal uptight ass-wipes that were at the party. _

_Rose was out of her element, so she didn't leave my side the whole night. I wasn't complaining. I knew that she could handle her own if it came down to it. I also knew she would give them a piece of her mind in return. The ole Rose-Bravado. But, she had chose to stay by my side the entire night. And I was happy to have her there._

_I had asked her for one dance, and to my surprise, she obliged. It was a perfect song. _

_It may have not been a slow one, but it was perfect all the same. One that I wanted to hold her tightly to me for. _

_We swayed to the rhythm of the music and our heartbeats. Well, more our heartbeat's toward the end of the song. It really was one of my more romantic moments with her. With anyone for that matter. Sad to say, but it's true. _

_For a fleeting moment during that dance, I had imagined us connected as one. The song just matched everything I had in my heart for her. I wanted to give her the world. I would have given her the world if she had let me. I was, am, deeply in love with Rose Hathaway. I don't think another woman could match my feelings for Rose. _

_**Ever.**_

_The memory of that dance was one of my favorite. We swayed to the music, me wrapping my arms around her slender waist, connecting my fingers at the small of her back. Her arms draped around my shoulders, with her head laying against my chest right under my chin. _

_Feeling her breathe against me. The smell of her scent sent goose-bumps along my skin. She smelled that good. A smell that I would remember all the days of my life that I had left. I could have lived the rest of my life in her arms._

_I would be nothing without her._

_***End Flashback*** _

I know she loved me. Maybe not the way that I loved her, but she loved me all the same. I had already gave my heart away. As far as I was concerned, she could keep it.

No, there would never be another Rose Hathaway for me. I was done with love. I would never love another the way that I loved her.

She was '_The One' _for me.

I was brought out of my reverie when Hans Croft approached Dimitri and me. He was accompanied by an all out regiment of Guardian's.

I didn't stand up to talk to him. I was too emotionally weak. I just didn't have it in me to talk to anyone. There was no one left that I _did_ want to talk to. All I wanted to do was go to my room and drink myself into a coma. Not see anyone 'till my funeral. Maybe not even then.

Nothing, or no one, could save me from myself at that point. I was emotionally dead.

Dimitri snapped to his feet. I heard a growl, an honest to goodness _growl_, erupt from his chest. His hands were clenched and his body went rigid. I expected him to fight each and every one of them.

His jaw was taunt as he said, "What? What the fuck do you _murderer's _want?" His teeth were clenched so hard I thought he might just break them. I could hear them gritting from where I sat.

Hans bowed his head, then met Dimitri's eye's. "Rosemarie asked me to give you this," he solemnly said. He had his face blank, but I saw regret flash in his eyes. I know I did. Not only that, I could see his aura shining like the north star. Bright and glowing. It screamed _sorrow._

I lowered my head back to my hands and released a loud sob. I was too crushed for words. I couldn't deliver a descent conversation even if I had wanted to. I needed a drink, and maybe some left handed smoke. Screw the clove cigarettes. I needed something with a _kick._

I felt Dimitri shift his feet from beside me. I assumed he walked toward the guardian that was handing him whatever Rose had left him. A twinge of jealousy shot throughout my entire body at the fact that she would leave him something and not me.

_She was, after all, in love with him; not me, _a small, nagging voice in the back of my head said.

That single thought bounced around my brain like a rubber ball bouncing on cement. Never ending. Causing me to be even more resentful of the Russian than I already was.

"I want to see her….her body." Dimitri's voice faltered on the latter half of his sentence. A sob racked his body. He sounded broken. Defeated. _He_ sounded..._DEAD._

My head shot up so I could read Hans' face as he gave his answer. Even though it wasn't a question.

Hans shook his head slowly, apologetically. "No, Dimitri, I'm not allowed to let anyone in there to see her. You have to understand. Her best friend, the princess," _yeah, like we didn't know that bit of information_, "could heal her. Bring her back. That is something the council vot-." he was cut short when Dimitri hauled his arm back, and connected his fist with Hans' nose.

Then again to his mouth, before the guards were able to grab a hold of him. Even then, he still kicked ass and rendered them unconscious or out of commission. He had a swarm of guardian descend upon him.

But he was holding his own fairly well, I might add. He had taken out almost a dozen of them before Hans gave the order for the remaining guardians, that Dimitri hadn't already dispatched, to leave him alone.

Dimitri had given Hans a few broken bones in his face. But the elder guardian didn't seem to hold a grudge. I put my head back down to rest on my knees. Tears still flowing of their own free will from my eyes.

I heard a piece of paper tear. At the same time I heard footfalls retreating. I didn't look up. I didn't care.

All the fucking people at court could be standing, staring at me right now, and I wouldn't give a shit in the least. They all could burn in hell. I had no use for any of them any more. Even my own parent's for that matter. It didn't matter to me.

What did my father say when Rose had come to eat dinner with my parents and I?

_She doesn't matter? She's just a dhampir?_

I think I know who I could take some of this grief of mine out on.

Yes, _my old man_. He was the perfect candidate for the task of relieving some tension and stress.

"Adrian?" Dimitri interrupted my musing.

I didn't look up as I answered him. "What?," I whispered in a quiet voice.

"This has your name on it." My head jerked up.

"What does?" He held out a piece of paper that had been folded three times.

He shoved the paper my way. "Here."

I took the paper from him and unfolded it.

It was a letter from Rose.

_Adrian, _

_I know you must be going through hell right about now. Stop it! Your life is too precious; don't waste it. Or take it for granted. You are one of the best, most kindest soul's, I have ever had the pleasure to come across. I'm sorry if I hurt you. I didn't mean to. I love you, in a 'Love Adrian', kind of way. You are one of a kind. Special. Well, in my eyes at least. _

_I made a lot of mistakes in my life, but befriending you wasn't one of them. I am proud to call you one of my best friends. I just hope I didn't tarnish your status too much -because of you defending and dating me. _

_I am so sorry if I did._

_You helped me even when Lissa had no clue what was happening in my own little world. You discovered mine and Dimitri's relationship. Before Lissa even knew we had those kinds of feelings for each other, you knew. Way before. _

_It feels like I've known you all of my life. It was so natural and easy for me to be around you. I felt completely at ease with you around. It was as easy as breathing for me. I do love you, Adrian. I really am so sorry if I caused you pain during our brief relationship. I want you to know that I really did try to give 'us' a try. I don't want you to think that I didn't. _

_You helped me so much with Dimitri. I hate to bring him up, but you do need to know what you did for me. You gave me that peace of mind when I had no one else. For that, I am eternally grateful. _

_You probably hate me for running back to Dimitri the first chance I got. I am sorry that I was the cause of you feeling like you did that night when you was waiting for me in the lobby of guest housing. I know you felt betrayed. I just couldn't help myself. Once again, I apologize for everything that caused you hurt._

_There is no way I could've repaid that dept to you. All I have to offer is a simple 'Thank You.' _

_Thank you for being there for me all the times that I needed someone._

_I didn't get a chance to tell you this in person, and I feel bad for that, but I am truly sorry your aunt was killed. I know how much you loved her, and she, you. I know you must be feeling a great sadness for her loss. But time heals all wounds. I am sorry for putting it like that, but you know I was never one to beat around the bush about things. I like to be straight forward. _

_Don't waste too much time grieving for me, please? You need to move on. Live every moment like it is your last. 'Cause it very well, may be. _

_Hopefully you have a very long life ahead of you. A bright future awaits you. All you have to do is flip the bulb on. Let it stay on till it burns out. Maybe go back to college and get your degree? What could that hurt? College would be better than court. Get a degree so you can rub your dads nose in it. See how he likes that pill. _

_Sorry, sorry. I hate to speak ill of some one you love._

_Just don't waste what you've got! You have loads of talent. Besides being a 'Royal Playboy' partying it up somewhere. You may think that that is a talent in and of itself. Well I hate to burst your little bubble, BUT IT'S NOT! *laugh*. _

_I hate to ask this of you, but if you do stick around court could you keep an eye on Lissa for me? I am so scared she will go back to cutting herself with me not around. Or worse. _

_It worries me to no end. I know how depressed she can get. And without me there to help her, she will spiral out of control. Just keep a look out on her for me. Please?_

_I also have one other thing to ask you. I know I have no right, but I just have to. _

_Would you take up Tasha Ozera's cause? She really does need the help in that department. _

_Sending 16 year olds out there to fight those evil undead killing machines is just totally and completely insane. All you have to do is just attach your name to back her. Maybe it will hold more ground with your name in on it. _

_You don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought I would ask. Don't go feeling bad if you don't want to. Honest, you don't have to do that just for me. It would be the right thing to do, __only if you want to do it! __That way, and only that way!_

_Remember, I love you. You were a great friend to me. Awesome, even. Okay, I need to deflate your big head now. *evil laugh*_

_Now and forever,_

_Your little dhampir_

_p.s. Take care of yourself. Your worth more than you think you are. Any girl would be lucky to have you. One day you will find that girl. I wish you well on your journey through life._

_Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo_

I stood up from my seated position and proceeded to hit the nearest bar. I needed a drink. A few of them. A bottle, even.

* * *

**Whew! That chapter was way harder to write than I originally thought. **

**The next one was even worse.**

**I hope everyone enjoyed this!**

**I love all of you! And expect A LOT of REVIEWS!**

**Don't you dare get lazy on me, or you wont know what happens!**

**Oh yeah, by the way, DPOV is next!**

**A lot of people have been asking if Rose is dead? Hmm? **

**Well, lets find out...**

**The more reviews = A happy me**

**Happy me = Quicker updates**

**Quicker updates = Happy you!**

_**~~~Carmen~~~**_


	5. Chapter 4 Dimitri Grieving part 1

**Songs for this story are:**

_'Just a feeling'_

_'Misery'_

_'This Love' __**all by Maroon 5 **_

_**I hope you all enjoy this!**_

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen~~~**_

* * *

_**DPOV**_

After Hans and the rest of the guardians had left, I looked in the envelope that he had handed me. I was not expecting what I'd found in it.

It was Rose's last goodbye to us.

One for Lissa, one for Adrian, and one for myself.

The Guardians had left while I was opening the envelope. I thought for sure that I would've been arrested for hitting the head of the Guardian Council. But no, I wasn't. All Hans had done was make the guards leave me alone. The look in his eyes pled for me to quit fighting.

I couldn't exactly recall how many I had hurt. I really didn't care, either.

They could all go to hell for all I cared. I had a lot of rage spewing forth. Rage that I couldn't handle -or control - in my present state of mind. I wanted to be left alone so I could deal with my frustrations. My grief of losing Rose.

_Alone._

_She had had people deprecate against her her whole life. Why did I add myself to that list? I had been a fool. A complete idiot._

I know I got to hold her one last time earlier in the garden. I got to tell her that I _DID_ love her. Thank God.

I should have took my chance's, and hauled her right out of that garden when I had the opportunity. I could've took Hans on. I would've kept her safe. We could've expurgated this world, the Moroi-Guardian world -easily.

As long as I had Roza, I would give up anything. Even if we had to live the rest of our lives on the lamb, I would've.

I didn't tell Adrian or the princess that I did get to see her and hold her while they were still in the guards' office arguing. I'm so glad that I did leave them to go for a walk. Or, otherwise, I would've never got to spend those few, short, precious hours with her.

I had overheard a conversation coming from behind the hedges. For one time in my life, I was so glad that I was 6'7. It came in handy yesterday. I had caught a glimpse of my Roza when I took a peak over the bushes.

She was sitting on a bench in the little garden. And I took the opportunity when it presented itself, and made haste in taking it.

Rose was the sunshine that brightened my day. The oxygen that filled my lungs. The moon that hung the stars in the night sky above. She was all of those things in my eyes.

Yes, Rose Hathaway was everything to me. I couldn't believe that I had actually pushed her away from me time and time again, when all she wanted was to love me.

_Why had I been so stupid? So blind? So scornful against her. Why did I tell her that I didn't love her anymore?_

I had caused her immense pain when I had inflicted those words upon her. She had told me she wasn't giving up on me. And what was my infamous comeback?

_'I've given up on you. Love Fades, Mine Has'_

And it hurt like hell to utter those very words to her. But, at the time I thought that was best for her. I didn't want to hurt her again.

_I was a moron. A coward. _

I didn't mean not a word that I had spoke. My guilt was overwhelming me. Consuming me. My insides felt like they were burning embers. A flame that couldn't be put out.

If not for Lissa, I think I would've just given up. Resigned my life. But I know Rose would have wanted me to watch over her best friend. She had told me that very thing yesterday when I had overheard her and Hans in the garden.

At first I thought it was my imagination. But when I parted the hedges that was secluding the garden and saw my Roza sitting on that bench, I had to talk to her. I had to hold her and tell her that I did love her.

God, I loved her so much.

So yes, I will watch over Vasilisa for Rose. She was, after all, the closest person to Rose. They were like sisters. Rose cared more for Lissa's well-being than she did for her own. Lissa was Rose's top priority.

So yes, I would watch over Lissa, not because she was the last of the _Dragomir_ line. It was because Lissa was so important to the love of my life. Roza. I would not let her down.

I had already let her down so many times before, as it was. All the times that I had pushed her away, thinking it was all for her benefit.

If I would be honest with myself, the real reason was because she had scared the living hell out of me. Just to know she could read me better than any of my friends or family, better than any person that I had ever known in all of my life, was very scary.

Those were months that I had madly, truly, and very much deeply, fallen in love with her. She read me like I was an open book that was written in a foreign print only she knew how to read.

A large part of me died with Roza. My world had turned into a cold, lonely place. I had been stuck inside my head, reliving my moments with her. I had nothing else to lose.

Rose was all I had ever cared about. She was the only person I've ever loved like that. I didn't want to go on living without my Roza. She was the most precious thing in my life. She was the other half of my soul.

_How could a person go on without their whole soul?_

_I will never be complete again._

I was petrified even thinking about going on with my life without her in it.

Even while I was Strigoi, Rose was a big part of my life. Something inside of me beckoned for her. Sang to me. My heart, mind, body, or soul, I really couldn't tell you. But, it was something, something major. Yeah, it may had been a twisted sense of logic, but my essence still yearned for her to be near me. I guess that is why I had never forced her _'awakening_'.

I had still loved her even while being an evil, undead creature. I couldn't force her to do something she never wanted to do.

She was the only one who ever '_got' _me. Just like I was the only one who ever '_got' _her. Even Lissa didn't understand her on the level that I did. I guess that is just how the whole soul mate thing worked. You connect with one another on a deeper level then with anyone else.

I knew she held my heart. Hell, she held my life in the palm of her hands. She was all I could ever think about. And quite frankly, that scared the shit out of me. Even with the age thing set aside, it was a scary thing to think that you had to rely on another just to survive.

I had never been as vulnerable as I was now, as I had been before I had met her. But the first time that I laid my eyes on her, something in me exploded. My heart changed. She opened up emotions in me that I never even knew existed.

I stepped up and took responsibility for her when Kirova had wanted to expel her. I couldn't have let that happen. I needed her near me. My soul called to her. It sang a sweet song. A song is not complete without the words, and she was the one who supplied those lyrics.

The night that Victor cast the lust charm on us, I knew right then that I couldn't go without her. Hell, I think I knew even before that night that I needed her. She had reached something that was deep inside of me.

Being alone with her in the gym for her training session just confirmed what I had already known. The way she would look at me set my body on fire. I lived for those alone times in the gym.

I took a guilty satisfaction of having her all to myself. Alone all those hours that I had training with her. Every touch. Every kiss. Every laugh. Every stolen glance, and believe me, there were many on my part. I used to watch her in her classes when I had to guard them. She was all I ever stared at.

Even when she called me by the nickname she had given me caused my insides to quiver. I pretended I didn't like it, but I honestly did. She was the only one who could've gotten away with it.

That proved just how deeply I had cared for her. I loved her with all my heart and soul. The sound of her voice sent shivers through my body, and brought a smile to my lips. I used to feel like a love sick teenage boy when I was with her.

Even when it was _wrong_ in the eyes of our people to be together, we couldn't stay apart. It was like one of us had lost ourselves along the way if we spent too much time apart. I guess even while Strigoi, that same rule still applied.

When Tasha Ozera had asked me to be her Guardian the day I escorted her on her shopping trip last Christmas, I knew I could never leave Rose. She was too engrained in my system to just leave her. She was the only thing that kept my heart pumping the blood in my veins.

Without her, I knew it would run cold.

Don't get me wrong, I had considered taking Tasha up on her offer. But only so Rose wouldn't be distracted by me. But in the end, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I loved Rose too much. And Tasha wanted more than me just being her Guardian. She wanted a relationship. She wanted more than I could give to her. So, no. I couldn't hurt Rose like that.

But Tasha was persistent. After she had left to go back home after Christmas, she would call me at least three times a week. For months. On one occasion, she even told me she was in love with me. I told her I could never reciprocate her feelings.

I had told her that I was in love with another, and so therefore, I could never be with her. Tasha didn't voice her feelings about that. However, I knew she was pissed I had chose another over _her_. I could hear it in her voice when I would talk to her. I didn't name the name of the person that I was in love with, but I do think she had a clue.

For weeks on end she kept calling, and literally begging me to take her up on her offer. One specific phone call ended rather horribly. It was a few weeks after the Spokane incident. Tasha had made a few remarks about me spending so much time with Rose. I kind of told her that it was none of her business. Well, it was more blunt than that. I told her not so very politely that it was none of her concern, nor her business. Then I hung up on her.

She had called back a couple of days later, and started in on me leaving the academy, again -for a life with her. That one ended in an argument, too. Then the next week was the attack on the school.

_And everyone knows how that ended._

The day Rose and I gave into our feelings for each other was truly incredible. I didn't know how I could have gone all of my life without her in it.

_How had I lived so long without her?_

She had utterly and completely became a part of me. She was all I had to live for. That is why I told her that I couldn't be her guarding partner.

I was dedicated to her. Not a Moroi. To me, no one came above _her._ I couldn't lose her. But when I was turned, and had done all of those horrid things to her, then I was turned back into my dhampir self, I felt disgusted by my actions toward her. I had never in my life thought that I could do something like that to someone I was so devoted to.

In love with.

But I did.

And I told her some horrible things after I was changed back. I wanted her to hate me after I was given my soul back. I wanted her to hate me like I hated my self.

When she had came to my cell that night Mikhail had brought her, she was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever seen in my life. My memories didn't do the real Rose any kind of justice.

She captivated me. She was so beautiful.

If I could've sat there and stared at her for the rest of my life, I could've died a happy man. As much as I would've liked to do that very thing, I knew I had to let her go. I wasn't worthy of her.

I wanted her to move on with her life and be happy. I didn't think I could make her happy anymore. I wanted to push her into Adrian's arms. I thought he would be better suited for her than I was. He did love her. I had seen that with my own two eyes. Only, she didn't feel the same about him. She still was in love with me, even after what I had done to her.

_How? Why? _

That remains an unanswered question's of the cosmic universe.

Lissa had sat me down after Rose was arrested, and gave me all of the details of what Rose had done just to achieve the goal of saving my soul.

It was then that it truly dawned on me that she did still very much loved me. She still wanted me as much as I did her. She had done some pretty illegal things just to have me returned to her.

She had took some big risks on something that seemed like a fairy tale. But she had done it.

And what did I do when she came to me wanting me to talk to her? I shot her down. Made her feel like shit. Told her I didn't love her. When in truth, I loved her with everything I had in me.

The memory of her face that day in the chapel had haunted my waking hours and my sleeping dreams. She was crushed. She looked broken by _my_ words. Not by my actions I had inflicted on her while I was a Strigoi.

My intentions were never to hurt her. I would've fought for her. I still loved her and she still loved me. It was as simple as that.

God, how I wish I could take that day back and do it all over again.

I would have taken her in my arms, and held her till our heart's were content. I would have made sweet love to her. I would have asked her to marry me. I would have run away with her if she had wanted me to. If only I could do that damn day over again, she might still be here with me. She would have had a reliable, solid alibi.

But no. I didn't.

And now she was gone. All because of me and my stupidity.

That day in the café I would have fought 'till I died for her. I could've took on all of the Royal Guards just for her. I was ready to fight till the death.

Their's or mine, it made no difference, as long as Rose was safe.

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**I hope all of you liked this chapter.**

**It was over 6000 words, I had cut it into 2 chapters.**

**Hehehe... I get to drag on all your agony a little longer!**

**Next chapter includes Dimitri's letter from Rose!**

**If I get enough REVIEWS, I will post the other half later today!**

**Up to you. Review, so I can relieve you of your pain! LOL**

**~~~Carmen~~~**


	6. Chapter 5 D Grieving wletter part 2

**Hey guys! Sorry I didn't get this up sooner, but I spent the day with my family.**

**Is this what all of you have been yearning for?**

**Well, if it is, happy reading. I hope I don't let anyone down with it!**

'_Just a feeling'_

'_Runaway'_

**Last but not least, this is the song that this chapter was mostly written with,**

'_I Wont Go Home Without You' -all, by Maroon 5 (of course)_

**Thank you for all the reviews that you have been giving me! I feel so lurved!**

**Keep them coming! I love reading what you guys think is going to happen!**

**I also want to fill you in on a little thing from my twisted mind!**

**There will be a little twist coming into play, in a few chapters, or so.**

**Anywoo...on with the story!**

**Much love,**

_**~~~Carmen~~~**_

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I was still sitting on the steps of the courthouse, clutching the letter that Hans had delivered to me, long after Adrian had left.

I was crushing the letter in my hand firmly. I couldn't bring myself to read it yet.

I had already given Adrian his. He had left shortly thereafter, which was hours ago. From the look of where the sun was positioned, I would guess that it was after noon. Rose had been gone twelve or so hours. Twelve long, grueling, agonizing hours.

All day my mind kept wandering back to one thing. One thing that did make any sense. A question that was haunting my brain.

_Why wasn't_ I _allowed to see Rose's body? _

I didn't have any _healing_ capabilities. I could _sort of _grasp the concept of their '_reason' _behind not letting the princess see Rose, but me?

I _couldn't_ bring her back.

As much as I wanted to, I just didn't possess that kind of power. Or magic. So I didn't see any logical _reason_ why I couldn't see Rose. It just didn't make a damn bit of sense.

What about Rose's mother and father? Would _they _be allowed to see her? I wondered if maybe one of them could get me access to see her?

Maybe, _just maybe_, I could talk one of them into getting me in there to see her. I'm sure Abe could, and would, gain entrance. I was absolutely _positive_ of that fact. There wasn't too much that halted Abe Mazur. Hell, there probably wasn't anything that did. When a man like him '_asked'_ for something, he got it. One '_way'_ or another.

The thought of living without Rose as a part of my life was worse then any death imaginable. I wanted to curl up into a ball and just die. Right there. Right then. I was broken down and all alone in my misery.

The air around me hung like a thick cloud after an atomic bomb had exploded. It was hard to breathe in the oxygen that allowed me to continue living. Not that I really wanted to go on anymore. I died on the inside now that she was not with me.

I was just sitting there on the steps, with my back against the door, my knees pulled up to my chest, my arms wrapped around them, crying silently. Sobs escaped my lips, but made no sound as they did. I was in no hurry to get anywhere. I had no place that I _had _to be. I damn sure didn't want to go to sleep, even though I had been up for over two days.

I knew once I closed my eyes, the nightmare that had been plaguing my dreams would begin. Sleeping was just impossible.

My appetite was nonexistent. The mere thought of food sent my stomach into convulsions.

Even if I could've been able to eat and keep it down, without regurgitating it, food just didn't appeal to me. It would've required effort. Something I was lacking. My energy was null. Anything other then breathing would be too exhausting.

My interest level was classified as depleted. Used up. Gone. Nothing that was left in this world held any value to me.

I had not been reinstated as a Guardian, even though it was declared I was indeed a _dhampir _again. I didn't have the tag along _babysitters_ anymore. I was deemed safe for the _Moroi_ race.

Always _Moroi. _

Never once, not even once, was the _dhampir race _even considered. I didn't have a guarding position, yet. So, therefore, I really had nothing that I _had_ to get done.

I felt empty. For the first time in my entire life I felt helpless. Vulnerable. Lost. Lost, without anyone left that could give me help as to which direction I should take.

I had no destination. I was just roaming around in a world that I didn't even recognize anymore. It felt like something foreign. I was out of place. I felt like there was a missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle.

A lost piece.

One that could never be found and completed.

I still had Lissa's letter in my hand. Rose's chotki and nazar were nestled in my other hand. My fingers kept tracing the pendant.

I was just sitting there with silent tears running down my face, leaning against the door frame cluching on to things that were invaluable to me. I had my eyes shut, with Rose's image running through my mind.

"_Oh Roza, I love you so, so, so much. Come back to me. Please come back to me. I love you," _my voice broke, then I released a scream into the sky, "_ROZA, COME BACK TO ME! Come back to me! God? God, anything. Anything I have, take it. Take it all. Take all that I have. Just give her back to me! Return my precious Roza back to me! PLEASE?"_

It's not fair! This just isn't fair!

It should not have happen to her! If anyone should have been killed for treason, it should've been me! I was the one off killing Moroi and dhampirs like there was an ever lasting supply! I was the one who had been a Strigoi!

_"It. Should. Have. Been. Me. Not. Her!" _I had resorted to pleading with something that I wasn't even sure that may, or may not, exist.

I was going crazy. Literally crazy. Insane in every way.

It was so hard to imagine that someone like her didn't exist in this world anymore. That was something I thought was impossible. I think I would rather see her as a Strigoi then being truly dead.

Really dead. At least with her being a Strigoi I had a fighting chance of bringing her back to me.

Sure, I would have to hunt her down and get Lissa to stake her; like she did for me. If Rose was able to do that for me, then I was fairly certain I could've returned the same for her. It wasn't an impossible feat. I could've found her eventually. I could've brought her back to us. Back to me. But no.

The love of my life was dead.

My memories of her were spinning around like a top in my head.

My thoughts drifted back to one of my favorite memories. It was the first training session she and I had had after Mason's death.

***FLASHBACK***

"_That was some move you just used on me." She had me pinned beneath her. Her breathing was labored, and my heart rate was pounding so hard I thought it might just jump right out of my chest. Being this close, with her on top of my body, was driving me crazy. The close proximity was stimulating the emotions that I held for her._

_By the way she was looking at me, I would say the same thing was happening to her._

_"Hmm, I could really take advantage of this situation." She closed the distance between our mouths and pressed her lips to mine. _

_The end result of that kiss had sent my sense's into high alert_. _She just looked so damn sexy. I wanted to take her right there on the spot. However, I didn't want to get busted, nor take advantage of her. So, I refrained from acting on my feelings for her. It was hard to listen to that little voice. So, so, hard._

_I had my fingers wrapped around locks of her silky hair. Deepening the kiss a little farther than I should have. The taste of her lips was excruciatingly delicious. A low moan escaped her lips._

_I pulled back a little; still very aware of her body covering mine. She was propped up with her hands resting on the floor; one on each side of my head. I really didn't want to break contact with her, but I had to. For her sake. _

"_Roza, we cant do this sort of thing here." I paused so I could peer around the gym. I looked pointedly at the doors. "Someone might walk in and catch us while we are, um…busy."_

_She flashed me a big grin, "I thought you said you have things to teach me? A lot of things, if I remember correctly? What happened to that? Changed your mind?" Her face painted a lustful portrait. _

_A big smile lit up my face as well. "No, I didn't. Some are for the gym, others…," my face twisted into sly mask, "…..not so much." I felt my face get heated as I blushed. But I didn't care that my face was crimson red. Rose was in love with me; and I her. _

_Her grin never faltered as her eyes widened. "Well, lets get down to business then, Comrade." The seductive note in her voice was almost enough crack me. She was driving me wild. I felt my little soldier snapping to attention, demanding release. But I couldn't do that. Not yet, anyway._

_I wrapped one hand around her waist, with the other hand on the back of her neck, pulling her down to me so I could taste her lips again. The kiss was shattering my self control. I had to pull away before I had nothing to keep me in check._

"_One day, Roza. You will learn my personal lessons. One day in the near future, my love," I moaned against her lips. She pulled back and gave me a devastating smile, then she brushed her lips to mine once again._

"_I can't wait. I hope I ace the test," she purred._

_I gave a low chuckle. "I'm sure you will. I am positive about that." I smiled at her._

_She laid her head on my chest. "I cant live without you, Dimitri," she murmured._

_I brought my hand down from her neck to her back. Stroking it gently. "You wont have to, Roza. I will always be here for you." I reached up and gave her one last peck on the lips._

_She lifted her head up so she could look me in the eyes. "Promise?"_

_When it came to Rose, I was emotionally defenseless. Everything inside of me melted away. She was everything I had ever dreamed of in a woman._

"_Yes, love. I promise," I whispered, leaning my forehead to hers._

_***END FLASHBACK***_

That was one of many promises that I couldn't keep. I had let her down so many times. It was a wonder she still loved me at all. Still, _in love,_ with me. Yes, she was, indeed, a very strong woman. Wise beyond her years.

It's hard to tell myself that she was really gone.

_Believe _she was gone.

Part of me thought that I would truly feel her death. Feel the part of my soul that she held detach it's self from within me. It's really hard to explain -to put into words, how I felt about that. Words didn't even exist for those types of feelings.

So no, I couldn't explain it. The other half of my soul was gone, yet, I had this strange feeling, way deep down, that she _wasn't _gone. I wasn't pychic, but I always listened to that little voice. Heed that feeling that always tried to steer me in the right direction.

That same voice that told me to fight to keep her safe from the Royal Guards. One that told me not to give up fighting for her. Fight to keep her safe. Instinct.

She had been falsely accused of murder, by the _Moroi _council, and a _Moroi _judge. For killing a, you guessed it, a _Moroi. _If she had killed a _dhampir_, or a _Moroi_ had killed a _dhampir, _a death sentence wouldn't have been handed down.

After all, _we were just some lowly dhampirs._

Hell, _Moroi __**get**__ dhampirs _killed all the time. Just by _enslaving _us to protect them. That is just as bad as murder. That is a death sentence in and of it's self. And now they want dhampirs to graduate at sixteen? Before they've even had a chance to live a life. Just for _their_ survival?

I had adopted a cynical view over the last few months of the _Moroi _and their _laws_.

Some law! Executing someone who was innocent is just plain fucked up.

All of _them _acted like Rose was some _thing _that _was_ expendable. Just as Headmistress Kirova had said she was.

Yes. We were viewed as _things _and not _ones_. Their _possessions_. Something they could easily replace. All fucking _Moroi _think alike. _Bastards! _

How can I _protect_ something, that I've come to _hate_? Despise? Save for just a living handful.

Lissa obviously, she was too kind for her own good.

Adrian, well, 'cause he really did care for Rose. Tasha and Christian, did indeed, think that Moroi _should_ fight right along with their guardian.

_If _you had won the genetic lottery, ending up with _Royal_ blood, so you got one. I knew Tasha was trying to do the right thing and have her race fight right alongside of mine. They were the only ones of the Moroi race that I held a high respect for. The rest of them, to me, were scum of the earth.

_Moroi._

That single, lone word left a bitter taste in my mouth. It made me want to brush my teeth until the enamel was removed from them. Bleach them, even.

I opened my eyes, and with a heavy heart decided to read the letter that Rose had entrusted Hans with. The one she had left for me. I had a battle of emotions waging in my head -and stomach. With shaky hands I pulled my letter out of the envelope and unfolded it.

I had to wipe my eyes a few times so I could clear the tears. My vision was still a little blurry, so I closed them for a few seconds, then read the letter.

_Dimitri, my love,_

_I love you. But I guess that you already knew that. I wish I was there to wipe away all of your tears, and whisper to you that everything would be fine. _

_I wish I could be there to hold your hand right now. Smell your scent. Watch your graceful movements. Feel your touch as you knot your fingers in my hair. Have your lips pressed to mine. Feel my heart rate accelerate as you kiss me. Comfort you while your hurting. I hate to see you tormented like I know you are going through right now. _

_Grieve, my love. But let your wounds heal. The hurt you are feeling will pass. You have to move forward with your life. I know that I will always possess a special place in your heart. Don't feel guilty, or think you are betraying me, you can love another. _

_Find someone you can settle down with. You have to. Don't punish yourself for the rest of your life. My memory will live on through you._

_Don't waste your love on a memory. Don't be bound by the thought of me. I don't want to be the cause of __what's binding you._

_Move on. Get a wife. Have the children that you always wanted to have. _

_Tasha, I'm __sure, will more than likely still want to be with you. Go for it. Feel free to love again. _

_You deserve some __happiness._

_With your looks and personality, any woman would be lucky to have you. You're so heartbreakingly beautiful that it would cause a deep ache within my chest when I'd look at you. I was captivated by your presence; it demanded attention. From the very first time I met you, I was entranced. Your god-like abilities gave me inspiration to become the best guardian that I could be. _

_I really did turn into a badass Guardian, didn't I? That was all of your doing. I owe you a lot. _

_You were my first love, my true love. The only one I can honestly say I never could have replaced. Believe me. I tried. But it wasn't the same. Adrian could never take your place. No one could. Even though Adrian was good to me, I didn't have the same kind of heart pounding, cant breathe reaction around him like I did with you. Although he tried, his touch didn't send shivers throughout my body as did yours. His touch felt more like one of a good friend. Not a lovers touch. I told you all of this, just so you know that it was _you_ who held my heart._

_Your touch felt like a million volts of electricity coursing through my body. The sight of you caused my insides to become a million butterfly's, haven. My heart always ran a marathon around you. I guess that is what true love is. Or rather soul-mates. You were mine. _

_I love you so much. So much, that at times it hurt. A good hurt, though. A very good hurt. I could have lived a thousand lifetimes wrapped up in your arms. Never once would I want to leave the comfort of them._

_I know you loved me, too. Don't go all, 'hating-and-kicking-yourself', just because you tried to push me away. I understand. I really do. You were living with some past demons that were just too hard for you to get past that quickly. _

_Hey, who knows? Maybe you could have gotten over it, and we would have lived a happy life together. From the way I seen it, you were well on your way to recovery when the Royal Guards showed up in the café to arrest me. You tried to protect me even at the cost of you putting your newly found non- Strigoi status in jeopardy._

_I love you, Comrade. Always._

_I have one thing I need for you to do for me. I have enclosed a letter for Lissa and Adrian in here, along with one more that I will explain when I get to it. First though, I need to ask you to make sure you give Lissa and Adrian their letter's for me. I also have enclosed the presents I received from last Christmas; the ones that my mom and Lissa had gave me. Could you make sure you give those to Lissa for me? Please?_

_Next, I have a mission that was bestowed upon me from Tatiana. The letter explains it all. _

_She wanted me to do it, but seeing as I was kinda….um…detained, I need for you to accomplish it for me. Lissa really needs this. You will understand when you read the letter. I'm sorry that I had to leave this on your shoulders, but I really had no choice. You are the only one I trust with this little issue. It needs to be done immediately. There is no time to waste, Dimitri. Time is of the essence in this matter. Once again, I'm so sorry for delivering this heavy burden. I know if anyone can do this, that person would be you._

_I love you so much._

_Love always,_

_Your Roza_

_xoxoxoxoxo_

I read the letter many times over. Her last words to me were like a gift. I could carry this letter with me for the rest of my life. I would also ask Lissa if I could keep the pendant of Rose's.

I didn't need anything to remember her _by._ I had my memories in living color. Vivid images of Rose forever ingrained in my brain.

I just wanted the pendant, so I could hold it close to me. I guess you could call it, _something to remember her by_, but that is not the case. I would _always_ remember _my Roza. _Forever.

I had also read the letter that Tatiana had given to Rose. I knew what I had to do. There was no question in my mind.

The sun was starting to set, and I knew Lissa would be up shortly. So, I wanted to give her the letter and items Rose had left for her. Then I was heading to my room, so I could pack my belongings for this journey that lay before me. I would do this for the dhampir race. I would do this for Rose.

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**Remember, her life, is in your hands!**

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**~Carmen **


	7. Chapter 6 Testing Rose's Patience

**I hope everyone is enjoying this story.**

**I know it has been kind of depressing, but I do have some good news.**

**Things are going to get chipper in the next few episodes. Just stick with me. **

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**You guessed it...**

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_**~~~Carmen~~~**_

**RPOV**

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Walking away from Dimitri was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life. Seeing him shattered like he was made me fear for his recovery more then my fear of being executed. That was a feat in and of its self. 'Cause I was pretty terrified at the thought of losing my life. But, I loved Dimitri way more than I loved myself. He was the most important person in my life. He even trumped the feelings that I felt towards Lissa. She had always come first in my life, but after falling in love with Dimitri, she took a back seat to him.

I knew that Lissa was suppose to be top priority to me, but she wasn't. I couldn't help that was how I felt. I guess we can't make our emotion's work the way they were suppose to. I was in love with Dimitri; he would _always_ come first to me. Whether he loved me or no. I loved him with everything in me. Don't get me wrong. I would fight to the death for Lissa. But if I had to choose between the two of them, as to which one lived or died, I would always choose Dimitri. I felt horrible harboring those secret types of feelings, but that was something that I just couldn't change. _Ever._

Screw the_ They come first_ motto._ He came first_ to me. _Always._

Hans and Mikhail were leading me to the court building. It seemed like it was a way shorter walk then I remember it being. Or, it could just be me knowing that with each and every step I took was one more closer to my approaching death. I was in the middle of the two male guardians. Every now and then I would catch them looking at one another.

It appeared like they were communicating wordlessly with their eyes. Maybe they were making sure that each other were staying alert, on their guard, in case someone wanted to assassinate the queens _murderer? _Maybe it was crucial that I was executed the _proper_ way? I couldn't take the silence any longer.

"What? Why do you two keep looking like that?" I snapped.

They looked at me, and both of them replied in unison. "What do you mean?"

I gave an exasperated sigh. "Don't even try it, guys. I'm not stupid. I see that you are hiding something. What is it?" They were really getting on my last nerve. Which wasn't too hard to do in my present state of mind. I had been having images, images of my impending demise, flitting through my mind of how I was going to be spending my last moments on the face of the earth. Horrible images. Ones that put the most gruesome horror movie to shame.

They both shook their heads, and we continued on without any more conversation. The strange silence that hung around us, and the fact that Court looked like a ghost town, was quite eerie. There wasn't a soul around as they led me through an isolated path to the courthouse. I thought that there would've been a public stoning. Like the ones that were held centuries ago. But there wasn't one living person around, Moroi nor Guardian, as we made our way to the building that was awaiting to witness my doom. We reached it, and Mikhail opened the door for Hans and myself.

I, reluctantly, walked through the doors. Before I did though, I cast one last look at the night sky. Drinking in every last bit of the beautiful view that lay there. I had never appreciated the little things in life. Things that I had blatantly took for granted. Just the little things in life. A birds song, the color of the sky at sunrise, the smell of freshly cut grass, the view of a full moon. Yes, I had took all of that for granted.

Hans took the lead and we walked down a corridor. The clicking of the men's shoes seemed too loud in the silence that had greeted us inside the building. We walk a little over halfway down the hall before Hans stopped at a door that was standing ajar. We walked in, and I was really stunned to see that it was a room that held just a table and a few chairs.

Mikhail motioned for me to sit, he pulled out a chair, and I took the seat he offered. After I sat down Mikhail pulled out a handcuff key, then took the cuffs off of me. Which surprised the hell of me. I rubbed my wrist unconsciously. I peered around the room, soaking it in and all the things that were in it. The room baffled me. I was trying to figure out why I was there, no one else was there waiting for us. Something was very off about the whole thing.

"What's going on?" I demanded. "Why am I in a room that looks more like it is used for conference's and not a death chamber?" This was just not adding up. I was expecting a room that held a bed with machines in it. Machines that would be hooked up to me so they could pump the poisonous venom into my veins that would lead to my ultimate and final death.

The men didn't answer neither of the question's that I had launched at them. Instead they took up residence along the wall that was facing the door. They wore a blank expression on their faces. But their eyes betrayed them. I could see that they held excitement in them. Anticipation.

Why would they be waiting to see my demise? They had been nothing but good to me. The whole entire time that I had been locked up they treated me with what I would call respect.. They had treated me like I was still one of them. Aside from the whole 'locked up and cuffed' thing. That was required of them. But other than that, they went out of their way to try and comfort me.

Did they secretly harbor ill feelings toward me, thinking that I really _did_ kill their beloved queen? Did they really want to witness my death? Speaking of witness's, why weren't the entire population of the _Royal Court_ not here? I thought executions were held open to the public? I know there hadn't been one in over a hundred years, but still. It was common knowledge that the people that was guilty of high treason did have a public execution. I was, after all, found guilty of _it._ Something like that just didn't happen every day.

I was fiddling with my fingers nervously. I couldn't get comfortable in the seat I was sitting in. I squirmed and fidgeted, trying to find a position that could satisfy my uncomfortable-ness. My nerves were racking my stomach, making it do flip flops. I thought I might just puke. Even though it wasn't hot, I had beads of sweat gathering on my forehead. I took the sleeve of my shirt and wiped away the moisture that was there. Only to have it come right back again just as quickly as could swipe it away. I couldn't take the silence any longer.

I stood up and faced the men that were in the room with me. "What the hell is going on? Why am I in this room?" They looked at each other, then stared back at me. I narrowed my eyes at them, trying to put a little more force behind my words, turning on the ole _Rose Bravado_. "What? What is going on? Tell me, damn it!"

Mikhail spoke in a low voice, almost a whisper, "Rose, calm down."

"Calm down? _Calm down? Are you fucking kidding me?"_ I shrieked at him. Both guardians flinched at the tone of my voice. The volume echoed around the room. My hands were shaking and my lips were trembling. My body vibrated with nerves. "I'm about to lose my goddamn life, and your telling me to _calm down! _Are you a few cards shy of playing with a full deck?" I closed my eyes and shook my head vigorously. I was trying to clear my mind of the thoughts swirling around in it. But all I got from it was a mild head ache from it being moved so fast.

Just then the door opened. My eyes automatically snapped open so I could see who was entering the room. It was the judge who had over saw my trial. She walked in, each step she took was graceful movements. She made her way over to the table, and stood across from me. Her expression was neutral. Her thin lips were pursed in a straight line. She had oval glasses sitting high on her perfect, thin nose. Her crisp blue pantsuit looked perfect on her tall, thin rail body; it brought out the color of her deep blue eyes. She smoothed the fabric of her jacket that matched her outfit with her hands.

"Rosemarie, take a seat, please." She then proceeded to pull out a chair and she sat down herself., crossing one leg over the other. I just stood there and stared at her in disbelief. I couldn't comprehend how these people could be so calm about the matter that was going on. Yet, it wasn't there death that was suddenly zeroing in on them. With each tick of the clock my anxiety increased. Surely they didn't expect me to not be scared. Or upset. Not to be calm. With a shaky hand, and clammy palms, I pulled the chair out. I gave one more scrutinizing glance around the room, then sat back down.

Once I was seated, I repeated the same question to her that I had previously asked the guardians. "What is going on? Why am I in this room? I don't un-." My words were cut short. The Moroi sitting across from me held up her hand and halted my questions.

"Rose, have a little patience. Everything will be answered when the rest of our party arrives." She spoke in a milder manner than she had when she was the judge for my trial.

More people were coming? Maybe a lynch mob? Were they really going to have an open execution after all? I knew panic was showing in my eyes. I knew that it was for sure, spread across my facial features. I was terrified. I didn't want to die, even though I had come to terms with my own death, it still didn't mean I was okay with it. I was scared shitless. I had all kinds of different scenarios playing out in my head. If they were going to kill me, I wished that they would hurry the hell up and do it. Put me out of my misery once and for all.

This feeling of terror was more excruciating then death. At least I hoped it was. I've had massive physical pain before, but this mind fuck was really starting to get to me. At least with death it ends. Permanently. I don't have to relive that over and over again. I hoped. One quick pinch for the needle to be put in my vein then it was over. Not like the situation at hand.

I was caught completely off guard when I was sucked into Lissa's head. Her fear was intense. Strong enough to bring down the walls that I had built up these last few months. I had been able to them keep up ever since I was arrested. I had to. Or else I would have gone completely insane. She had been a wreck. Frantically trying a way to save my ass. She was in emotional turmoil.

Lissa was standing outside the courthouse banging on the door; trying to gain entrance. Dimitri and Adrian were right along with her. Dimitri was trying to kick the big, wooden doors in. Over and over he kicked. Not causing a bit of damage to them. It looked like it might have hurt him but it looked like his adrenaline was pumping too hard for him to be able to feel any painful effects he was causing himself.

Adrian was banging and shouting, too; he looked bad. He and Lissa were doing basically the same thing. Adrian was a mess. Literally. He looked like he hadn't showered or fed in days. There dark circles under his eyes that proved my theory was correct. Basically, he looked like a bum off the street. Disheveled clothes that looked like it was just thrown on. Not matching. So un-Adrian like. He had always dressed to the nines. This person fighting to get in to see me I didn't even recognize him. He looked like a stranger. I hated seeing the people I loved effected because of me.

Pain was being inflicted on them due to the fact of the love they held for me. Maybe it would be best for all of them if I did, indeed, die a traitors death. At least I couldn't hurt them anymore after today. They would heal. I was sure of that fact. Speaking of people who loved me, where in the hell were my parents? I haven't seen them since yesterday. I thought for sure that they would be here raising hell for what was about to happen to me. Their _daughter. _But no. They were no where to be seen.

I could read Lissa's thoughts like they were written on a billboard. What I learned scared me half to death. Lissa had dark emotions swirling around in her head. I had never got any kind of vibe from Lissa, as the one I was receiving from her now. This was scary. The darkness was very close to taking her over. I couldn't let that happen to her. I had to take some of it. Not all, I wouldn't be very nice if I did. But then again, did it matter? Seeing as if I didn't have a lot of face time left on planet earth. The darkness that was consuming Lissa was overwhelming. I had to try to calm her down a little. She wanted people to _pay_. She wanted revenge.

_Lissa, wanting revenge? _

She had a plot forming in her head. A very dark plan. This was nothing like the darkness that had been formulated when she used compulsion on Jesse. That time looked like a ray of sunshine compared to right now.

Christian had showed up, and was trying to calm Lissa down. I extracted a little of the darkness from her. Maybe with her having less of it Christian could remove the rest from her. He did bring a sense of comfort to her. I could read Lissa's thoughts about that. She knew Christian would help her out; he would take care of her. She had complete faith in Christian. He set her mind at ease. A little. But hey, that's better than nothing at all, right?

I pulled out of Lissa's head and found my self back in, what I would call, the board -or what I thought _bored- _room. The Moroi across from me had a look of concern plastered across her face, mixed in with confusion. She had a hand outstretched, and had it laying on top of my clenched fist. A frown was set upon her lips.

I didn't notice Mikhail next to me until he spoke by my side. "Rose? Rose are you alright?" He knelt down on one knee, placing one of his hands on my shoulder. Mikhail had witnessed me going into Lissa's head, many times over, the last few months. The first time it happened, was when he was with me the first night I was locked up. He was very upset by it.. He had thought I went comatose from the shock of being held for murder. He eventually got use to it, though. "Rose?"

I tried to shake off some of the darkness that I had taken from Lissa. I had learned, over the course of the last few months, how to handle it. I had found a way to suppress it, and not go rabid on the people around me.

I nodded my head, not trusting my voice. I didn't want to lash out at the people around me, so I remained silent for a while. I really did want to know what was going on, but I didn't voice my question. I was surprised that the woman in front of me was worried about my welfare, however. She was one of the people who rendered me guilty. Her concern just did make a bit of sense. I was kind of weirded out by her actions. What was up with this lady? And who on earth were we waiting for?

"Are you sure that you're alright?" His concern wasn't out of place toward me. Mikhail and I had become friends. Spending every day -every hour of every day- kind of makes you close. When you spend that amount of time with someone you kind of have no choice. It's either, become friends, or kill each other in the process. It wasn't difficult seeing as he and I had already known each other before I was accused. Mikhail and I had instantly connected as good friends. We both shared similar relationship problems. So it wasn't hard to strike up a friendship.

I slowly nodded my head again and turned to face him. "Um,….yeah, I'm fine," My voice quivered a little, but I managed to reply my response. He stood up and gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before returning to his post. I cast my eyes around the room, again, checking to see if anyone else had entered while I was indisposed. Nope. No one new. Who was we waiting for? It was really getting aggravating, annoying, to be left in the dark about your own fate. You would think that you would be clued in on what was going to happen to you, but I wasn't. It was kind of pissing me off.

I brought back my eyes to rest on the Moroi in front of me. She had released my hand when Mikhail was talking to me. She still carried a worried expression, but her face gave away nothing that was of significant importance to me. So I decided to ask one more time before I blew my lid.

"What is going on? _Who_ are we waiting for? Is it top secret?" my voice was low, and menacing. Her face faltered for a second. It turned to one of fear, but she quickly recovered. She looked toward the guardians that were standing guard near us. I looked to them as well.

I turned just in time to see Hans give her a shake of his head. Like he was telling her not to say anything. Now that really pissed me off. I thought Hans and I had gotten along rather well during my stint in jail. He had been kind and reassuring even before I had went to trial. Even after the guilty verdict that had sealed my fate he was still acting the same way. _Acting_. Maybe that was it. He was just _acting_? Did he really believe that I _did_ kill Tatiana? I was going crazy with these thoughts piercing my brain.

I was pulled out of my musings when the room door opened. I was brought up short when I saw the two people that I had not expected to see, well, not in here, anyway, sauntering in. Looking like they didn't have a care in the world. The air in my throat hitched, and I thought I would hyperventilate. Cutting off any oxygen that would have filled my lungs for survival. They both gave me a dubious smile. Well, one of them smirked at me.

"Hello, Rosemarie, how are you doing?" I couldn't answer that. My voice wouldn't allow it. My face was scrunched up into a look of confusion. I could feel my eyebrows knitted together. Once again, my hands clenched into fist. What the hell had happen to all sense of logic in the outside world? The world I had vacated months ago. Had the balance of sanity been swayed into one of disorder? Had all the people out there turned into masochist? Sadist? Did everyone get a kick out of being cruel to others? Is that why I was brought here? So I could be tortured before the final blow?

I took a few, deep, cleansing breath's, then I released them slowly.

"What the _hell are you two doing here?" _I finally choked out.

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_**Okay, there you have it!**_

_**Hit me up, and let me know what you think!**_

_**You know the drill!**_

_**~Carmen**_


	8. Chapter 7 Unexpected People At Court

**I decided to post this, although I'm not really happy with it.**

**Much love,**

_**~~Carmen**_

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I had just delivered Lissa's letter from Rose to her. She reacted similar to the way I did. She didn't want to read it right away, either. I didn't tell her about the note from Tatiana. I thought that that was better left in the bag for now. Lissa had tried to get me to get something to eat with her and Christian, but I declined. My stomach wouldn't let me eat.

I felt emotionally drained.

I wanted to get on with the mission that was left to Rose. The one from left by our late queen. I knew how important it was for Lissa to get her seat on the council. Lissa could make a difference to our world. Even if it was the last thing I would ever do, I would do it. I saw this as the last request of my love. The last thing I could ever do for her.

Lissa had made me aware of the memorial service that she had planned for Rose. We would be getting her remains later in the day. Of course, it would be ashes we would receive. They had went to great lengths to make sure that Lissa didn't bring Rose back. They had cremated her body. There was no way in hell she could bring her back from the dead in that condition. They figured it was safe with ashes. After all, who could piece _ashes _back together? I hated the bastards. Pure hatred.

I was walking back across court to the room I had there. I was mulling over my thoughts and how to carry out my plans. I had a few connections -before I had been turned. I didn't know how much water my words would carry now. After all, I had been a killing machine for months. Something like that just didn't get swept under the rug. It forever haunts you. I didn't want to plan too far ahead, because I knew once I found the child, I would not be living at court. I would have to find an apartment, not too far away, though. Just in case Lissa would need me in a hurry. I knew there was no way I was ever going to get my guardian title back. So, the best I could settle for was just trying to help Lissa on a call-me-when-you-need-me basis.

I was so wrapped up with my thoughts I barely heard someone call out my name, "Dimka!" I turned around to see who was calling me.

"Tasha?" I saw her running to catch up with me. I took a few steps her way to shorten the distance for her.

When she finally caught up with me it took her a few seconds for her to catch her breath. She gave me a brilliant white smile, exposing her fangs as she did. Just the sight of them, I shivered internally and my insides recoiled. Bringing on painful memories of the brief time from when I had carried them. Along with the horrendous things I had done with them flitting through my mind. Even though I only had fangs for a short time I had killed many, many innocent people along with some not so innocent. But a life is a life. I had been the one taking theirs.

I shook off the effects of the images and greeted her. "Tasha, it's nice to see you. I haven't seen you around in a while." My face was void. Expressionless. I had only sorrow echoing through my body. I didn't want it seen to the outside world. No, no one could help me now that _she's_ not here. I felt lifeless.

Tasha started to give me a hug, but I backed away from her before she could touch me. I didn't want anyone to touch me. At all. The last woman who would ever touch me would be my Roza. No one else. No other woman. Friend or no.

She looked hurt by my actions, but she quickly recovered. "No, …um, I had some business I had to take care of. But I'm back now!" She swung her arms in front of her, gesturing that she was, indeed, standing before me. "For a little while, at least." She was just too cheery for my liking, or for my current state of mood. Her face was lit up like a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve.

Usually Tasha and I got along really well. But I couldn't be around her jovial attitude for long, or I would snap and not even mean to.

I started walking and she fell into step with me. "That's good, huh?" I really didn't want to talk to anyone. Even though she was a good friend of mine, I just didn't want company. I wanted to grieve on my own.

She nodded her head. "Yes, it is. Hey, do you want to grab some coffee or something?"

I gave her a look that said, Are-you-fucking-serious? But, I replied with a nicer response, "No. I have to do something."

Once again, hurt flashed across her features "Oh, okay, maybe some other time then."

"Not anytime soon," my voice held a bitter note to it.

She ignored my tone and zeroed in on her questioning. "Really? Why is that?"

I hated when someone stuck their nose into my business, but Tasha was a long time friend, and it was only right that she would be concerned about my welfare.

"I have a matter that I have to take care of." I stated it matter-of-factly. I _was not,_ going to tell her what that matter was. Friendship only runs so deep.

She gave me a puzzled look. "Oh," was her only response. I guess she took the hint.

Out of nowhere, I felt hands wrap around me from behind, and instantly I went on the defensive. Until I heard the young woman's squeal. Then I knew exactly who it was. I spun around in the girl's arms and wrapped mine around her, pulling her into a tight squeeze.

"Dimka, cant…breath." I didn't realize how tight I was holding on to her. I released some of the pressure, still holding onto her, though. I had my face nestled into her hair. I didn't want to let go, it had been so long since I've seen her.

"Vika," I breathed. My little sister was here, here in my arms. I had waited so long to see my family, and now here was my sister. Right in my arms. I didn't expect to see her anytime soon. Hell, never again for that matter.

We had our arms wrapped around each other, my eyes squeezed tight, just taking in the comfort of my sister's embrace. I don't know how long we stayed like that, but I heard someone clear their throat. I thought it was Tasha, but when I opened my eyes, I was floored by the other four people standing there.

I pulled out of the hug, only to be claimed by another one. "Mama, I have missed you so much." I sounded like a 10 year old little boy. Tears had formed in my eyes at the feel of my mother's touch. I held onto her, for dear life. Tear's had started creeping down my cheeks. My mother took her thumb and wiped them away. Brushing the back of her hand over my cheek. I leaned into her touch, feeling the warmth of her skin on mine. We stared into each others eyes, and I saw empathy swimming in my mothers brown orbs.

"Dimka, my son." She too had tears flowing. I pulled her tighter to me. I didn't squeeze her as hard as I had Vika, but it was hard enough so that she was incapable of moving away. I heard a snort, only then remembering the rest of our party. Babushka narrowed her eyes at me, folding her arms across one another.

"What am I, boy? Chopped liver?" She had a pouting face attached to her. But I knew better. That old woman never pouts. She was too mean for that emotion. I released my hold on my mother, and gathered my grandmother in my arms. Trying not to squeeze her too hard. She was old, after all. She noticed my easy embrace, and gave a harsh laugh.

"I'm not going to break, Dimka. I get better hugs from a pillow. Give me a hug, son." She then proceeded to try to squeeze the life out of me. I too, tightened my grip on her. She may have been three days older than dirt, but she was a tough ole broad.

"I have missed you too, Babushka." I gave her a kiss on her cheek before letting go of her.

For one fleeting second, while greeting my family, I had forgot about losing my Roza. But it was exactly that: One fleeting second. My world came crashing back down around me. Hitting me with as much force as a MAC truck. My tears of joy about my family reunion, turned back into tears of grief about losing Rose.

My grandmother pulled back from me, and looked me in my eyes. "You will go on, Dimka. I see a happy future for you." Her face was stern. It was an utter, serious expression. "I know you don't believe in my gift, but trust me. I _do _see a happy future for you. Things are not as they seem to be. It will take struggle and hardship, but you _will,_ in the end, have a love worth loving." She said this with such conviction that left me speechless for a moment. She was right. I never really and truly in my heart thought that her 'gift' was some kooky anomaly. When I could finally speak, I cast my eyes toward the ground before replying. I couldn't look her in the eyes.

"How? How do I go on, without Roza?" I asked her in a broken whisper.

She shook her head, and stared at Tasha for a moment. No one, other than me, caught the look she gave her. But I saw it. I saw the look. It looked like one of disgust. Why would my grandmother not like someone she had never met before? I started to chastise her, but then thought better of it. Did she mean that I would move on with Tasha?

Uh, not no, but _hell fucking no_! I would get her to explain it to me later.

My mother spoke, bringing me out of my trance. "Dimka, you remember Mark and Oksana?" I looked at the couple, who until that moment, I had forgotten they were even there. Mark outstretched his hand for me to shake.

"It's good to see you, Dimitri." I shook his offered hand, and Oksana gave me a small smile.

"Not to be rude or anything. But why are all of you here? Not that I didn't want to see all of you," I asked my family and friends.

It was my grandmother who replied. "We came for _your Roza's _memorial," she emphasized a part of the sentence, shooting Tasha a mean look as she did. What the hell was wrong with her?

Her words shot a dagger into my heart. The reason they were here was for Rose's death. My grandmother noticed the change in my attitude, and reminded me of her earlier comment, "Dimka, remember what I told you. It will happen. I can guarantee it." She grabbed Oksana by the arm, pulling her to the side. Wanting to talk to the woman in private, they huddle together, making sure they were out of earshot.

I heard whispered conversation, but decided to ignore them. "Have you all got a room, yet?"

My mother put her arm around my waist, pulling me to her side. "Yes, son. We do. We just wanted to find you so we could talk for a little while. Babushka, insisted that it was a perilous situation going on, and we had to find you immediately."

I looked at the two women that were standing to the side of our group. Every now and then they would shoot glances in our direction, my grandmother had a vicious look while Oksana looked like she was trying to concentrate on something. I knew they were speaking in our native tongue just by how fast my grandmother was talking. When she was worked up about something, she reverts to Russian.

"Mama, where are Karo and Sonya?"

"They couldn't make it, Dimka. They both told me to send you both of their apologies and love."

The other women had re-joined us.

I turned back to Tasha -who had just been standing on the side lines till now- and made the introductions. Everyone, except my grandmother, gave a warm greeting.

With the 'hellos' and 'nice to meet 'you's' out of the way, I turned toward Tasha. "I will see you later." This comment made her eyes light up with something that looked like hope, along with a little excitement mixed in there. I dismissed it, not wanting to go down that road right now. "I want to get caught up with my family." Some of the glow that had been on her face subsided, turning to, yet, another hurt expression. She nodded her head at me. She didn't try to give me another hug. I think she knew I didn't want her to. She gave another fang-toothed smile, and waved before she took off in the opposite direction.

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**Okay, there you have it.**

**Like I said, not really satisfied with this chapter. :/**

_**~~~Carmen**_


	9. Chapter 8 The Meeting

**I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. I really had fun writing it!**

**I was going to do the memorial service, but I didnt want to do another chapter that was grief filled. I was really ready to do a fun chapter.**

**So, I hope I don't let any of you down! **

**I would also like to thank everyone who has left me reviews, and sub to this story! You are the ones that keep me going. SOOOO, THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT ON VAMPIRE ACADEMY NOR IT'S CHARACTERS **

**(even if I desperately wished I did -more importantly the _hot Russian or the sexy Romanian_! hmm hmm yummy!) hehehe**

_**~~~Carmen**_

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**RPOV**

"What the hell are you two doing here?" I shot to my feet instinctively. The only reason that I knew I was on my feet, was because I got a head rush from moving so fast. I was stomping across the room toward the two in question. "Don't give me that look, Zmey," His eyes were turned into a shrewd, piercing gaze. One that was meant to emit fear into whomever he turned it on. Me? It didn't scare me like he wanted it to. Because I on the other hand, knew how to return the look. _And boy did I._

"What are you doing here?" I repeated. I heard footfalls descending on me from behind. I turned around and halted the guardians with one simple glare. They retreated back to their post along the wall. I turned back around to face a more challenging opponent. My father. I crossed my arms expectantly and rocked back on my hips, while tapping my foot.

Sighing loudly, he gestured to the table, "Let's sit down, Rose. I will fill you in on what's going on."

"Glad someone is going to enlighten me," I announced sarcastically, "And you," I raised my finger to the other intruder, "What the hell have you got yourself involved in? I can understand him," I pointed to my father, "but you?"

My dear ole dad, grabbed me by my arm, dragging me to the table with him, "Sit," he ordered. I did so reluctantly. But gave one last huff before I did. Abe took a seat across from me, his companion had the audacity to sit next to me. I turned pointedly to the other dhampirs along the wall. I saw the smirk both of their faces held. I gave them a haughty look, then proceeded to ignore them.

"It seems like you've been keeping something from me, Rosemarie. Would you like to fill me in?" Abe's tone was firm. Reprimanding.

I turned my attention back to him, "I don't know what the hell you are -" my words were cut short when I started clicking the pieces together. I whipped around in my seat so I could face the obvious rat in the room, "You little traitor! What have you told him? Answer me, goddamnit!" I wanted to grab him by the neck and choke the life out of him. My finger was working adamantly with every word that came out of my mouth, "What did you tell him, you little fink?"

Ambroses' face was full of apprehension. He didn't know whether to bolt out of the room, or pin me down. I was worked up. I wanted to kick major ass. I wanted to kick his ass.

He held up his hands in front of him, trying to ward me off, "Rose, you were going to die, I had to do som-"

I cut him off the proper way. I punched him in the mouth. That should keep his trap shut for a little while. Even though I did tell him to talk. It was my own sense of logic working. His lips started swelling immediately. It was a sloppy throw due to the fact I was in a seated position, but I still achieved my goal. I heard the guardians coming toward me from across the room.

"Back off," Abe barked at them menacingly. Those two words left no room for question. The men didn't touch me. They probably thought they might get their knees broke if they did, "Now have you got all the punching out of your system? We need to get down to business."

My had balled up into fist at my sides, "I dont know, come over here and let's find out."

He tsked me, but carried on with the matter at hand, "We need to get down to business, Rose. You can do more punching later."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "I'm not telling you shit, _old man. _And _you_ cant make me," there was no misunderstanding the challenge that my voice portrayed, and he knew it, "Ask your little stool pigeon, here. I'm sure he would tell you anything," I nodded my head to the dhampir sitting beside me.

"Rose, please. I didn't mean -"

"You didn't mean what, asshole?"

"_Rose!_" Abe snapped.

"_What," _I snapped right back. The look on the female Moroi across from me, looked appalling. She looked like her life was hanging in the balance.

"I can see you aren't going to be reasonable. I should've known better to begin with," he started shaking his head slowly.

I straightened up in my seat, crossing my hands together. Ambrose had his hands clutched to his mouth checking for blood loss.

"You little pussy," I muttered under my breath. The two Moroi heard my comment, and proved so by their comments.

"There's no doubting that one's yours, Abe," the woman said.

Abe shook his head with a big smile spread on his face, "No, Paula, there isn't, huh?" the woman shook her head at him.

Paula, aka the judge, shook her head, "Nope, she is definately your daughter. There's no question about that one," she laughed amusingly, but her face still showed concern for her safety. She was probably thinking I might just lose it any minute now. Which if she was, she wasn't far off base.

"Okay, now that we got the genetics out of the way, can you tell me what the fuck is going on?" I demanded.

Abe looked at me, arching an eyebrow as he did, "So, now you wanna know?"

"I just asked you, didn't I smart ass?"

"Well if that's not the pot calling the kettle black," he retorted. I heard small chuckles erupt from the other side of the room. I turned and glared at the duo. They shut up effectively.

"_Enough," _Ambrose yelled. Abe gave him an amused look. I was in shock that he could put enough force into backing that word. He must have got nervous about talking to Abe like that, cause he quickly added, "Please."

"Ambrose is right, we need to focus here. Don't make me regret this, Abe," the woman, Paula, had said.

"Where was I?" Abe folded his hands together in front of him, resting them on the table.

"You were going to tell me what the hell is going on. Geez, old people," I muttered. They all ignored me.

"Ah, yes. Well Ambrose came to me after the trial and told me you were given a letter. One that came from Tatiana. Is that correct?" Abe said, narrowing his eyes at me again, knowing I couldn't lie cause a certain little rat done gave me up.

"Maybe. What did he," I jerked my chin in the direction of Ambrose, "tell you it said?" I asked.

"I don't know what it said, Rose. I didn't read it. I'm not that nosy," Ambrose chimed in.

I looked at him and rolled my eyes with a snort, "Yeah, right."

"I didn't," he defended.

"_Whatever."_

"Where is the letter, Rose? Let me see it," Abe told me.

I gave an screeching laugh, "Kind of late for that one. I don't have it."

"Where is it? I'm not playing a game here!" Abe was kinda getting pissed off at me, but I didnt give a rats ass about his temperment at the time.

"I gave it to Hans," I thought maybe I could use that as my advantage.

Abe looked at me like I was crazy, then looked at Hans, waiting for him to answer.

"I- I did as she asked me to, sir."

"And what was that?" Abe prompted.

"I gave it t-" S_hit, maybe not._

I cut him off, "It's in safe keeping. Now, why do you want it?"

"Because that letter will save your ass, Rose. It proves that Tatiana didn't see you as a threat. She trusted you. That proves you didn't kill her!" it was Ambrose that said those words to me.

"I would rather _die_, before I let the contents of that letter get out. It held a secret. A secret that had to remain contained."

"Rose," Paula started hesitantly, "you need to let us help you. It wont go any further then the people in this room. You have to trust us."

"Trust you? _Trust you?," _I leaned toward her a little before saying my next words. I wanted her to comprehend thoroughly what I was about to say, "Someone. Killed. The. Queen. And. Set. Me. Up. And you want me to _trust you!" _I shrieked at her,_ "_Forgive me, if I don't see the logic in that."

"No one in this room is your enemy, Kiz. I can understand how you feel reluctant to do so, but you have to tru-, um, let us help you here. We are the ones who kept you from dieing today. So yeah, _trust us. _Us five," he gestured dramatically around the room like I didn't know who he was talking about, "saved your ass today. We put Mikhail on guard duty because we knew he was a friend of yours, and wouldn't let anyone hurt you. Hans insisted on helping you also, he knows you are hot tempered, but wouldn't hurt anyone you swore to protect. Paula agrees with this sense of logic, because she has heard of your reputation. We all know you're not stupid enough to leave your stake behind if you really had done it. It's obvious someone framed you. The council was just too quick to put you to death. That's why we did what we did,_" _by the end of his rant, his face was cherry red from his lack of taking appeasing breaths.

I gave him a level, "I do trust _you,"_ he got the meaning of my wording, then used it against me. Typical mobster behavior.

"Alright then, if you trust _me, _then tell me where the letter is. I trust the people in the room, Kiz._ I trust in you," _he spoke nonchalantly, like he was just talking about the weather.

When I didn't say anything he added, "Rose, I wont let anything happen to you. You know that."

"Someone is holding it for me."

He looked at me sharply, "Who do you trust that great?" he answered his own question. Too bad it was the wrong one, "Vasilisa," he had a smug look on his face. I quickly swiped it away, though.

"Nope," I said. He looked at me questionably, then turned to Hans. I craned my head around to peer at him myself. I did so just in time to see Hans shake his head. When he saw I was looking, his head abruptly stopped. I shot him a mean glare.

"Who has the damn letter, Rose? Who else do you tr-. Ah, I think I have a clue," Ambrose said.

"Shut your fat lips! Unless you want a black eye to match them!" I threatened him.

"Dimitri," My father answered with another smug look. I wanted to punch his face in.

I looked at him with gaping lips and shock on my face. I was not aware he knew. But on the other hand, he would've, because I did go to Baia in search of Dimitri to kill him. Only someone love struck would do something like that. Another clue was that I did stay with his family. So yeah, I shouldn't have been so shocked.

"Well, that changes everything. Doesn't it?" Paula said. I got the eerie sense of deja-vu. Those were the words I had spoke to Dimitri last year when we stumbled upon the Badica house.

"We'll work around it. There are ways to do that sort of thing," Abe told her.

"You should know. Huh, pops?"

Abe glared at me but didn't say anything. I was getting use to that look from him by now. With his flashy attire and mobster attitude, you kinda have to overlook him sometimes. Well, I could because I was his daughter and I knew he wouldn't do anything to harm me. I think. But I knew anyone else couldn't pull off what I could with him.

"How are we going to get the letter now?" Ambrose quizzed.

"_We_ aren't. _She_ is," Abe clasped his hands and pointed to me with both of his index fingers victoriously. _Sonofabitch!_

"How the hell do you want me to get it? I'm dead. Remember?" I didn't know what he had up his sleeve, but I had a funny feeling I wouldn't like it. He proved my point by his next actions.

Abe grabbed his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number, "Cedric? Where is Pavel?" there was a pause, "Put him on. _Now_," another short pause, " Pavel, I need you to retrieve Dimitri Belikov for me," Another pause, "Well, is the service over?" he nodded his head like a fool, because his party on the other end of the line, couldn't see him. But I wasn't going to point that out to him. Something's are better kept to yourself. _For your own benefit_. I may be his daughter, but I would not cross the line _that_ bad. I may like agitating him, but I didn't have a death wish, "Fine, fine. Bring him to me immediately when it is over," Abe closed his phone, then turned back to me, "Little girl, this is your lucky day."

I was squirming in my seat. I did not want to face any of them after all they had went through the last few months. I would rather they think I was dead and get on with their lives.

"What are you talking about? And what service?"

"Your memorial service, and you just got resurrected from the dead. _Again,_" he stated bluntly, "You're going to ask Dimitri for the letter from Tatiana."

"_What!_ No, no, no, _no!_" I was shaking my head back and forth with enough force, that it should have gave me whip lash.

"Yes, yes, yes, _yes. _You are. How else are we going to help you?"

I should've told him that I memorize the letter by heart, but deep down I didn't want Dimitri to think I was dead. I wanted to see him. And Lissa. But on the other hand, I thought they were better off with out me -in a way. They could move on, and I couldn't bug Dimitri. Just like he wanted.

I ignored his question, and presented him with one of my own, "Why are you doing this to me? Why?" I stared into his eyes, pleading with him to give me a straight answer.

"Rose, all of us think we can flush the real murderer out, if they thought they were free and clear. Thinking you were dead, it's the only way, Kiz. I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be. For now anyway."

I was trying to grasp what was unfolding in my life. It was really a lot to comprehend. Then a dilemma occurred to me.

"What's going to happen to all of you if we don't catch them? Wont you guys get in trouble yourselves?"

"That's a risk we are willing to take," he told me levelly.

"What about my mother? Does she know what's going on?"

He looked deep in thought for a moment, "I think she does to a certain extent. I didn't want to get her involved too much."

Another thing hit me, "You said earlier that I had a memorial service, correct?" he nodded in response, "How?"

"How what?"

"How did I have a service, when obviously I'm not dead," I ran a hand along my body to show indeed I wasn't dead, "So, how did you pull off a service?"

He got a dangerous glint in his dark eyes, "Some things are better not known, Rosemarie. Just go with it. Okay?"

I didn't like what he had told me, "Please don't tell me you killed a look-alike to impersonate me!"

"What? No, of course not!" he scoffed. The rest of the room chuckled quietly.

I leaned across the table, only getting inches from his face, "Then _how _did you do it?"

It didn't faze him a bit, "We gave them some ashes, Rose. No one killed anybody. We wouldn't stoop so low," I relaxed a little bit, until his next words hit me like a ton of bricks, "Well, _they_ wouldn't," he gestured to the rest of the people in the room.

"And _you_ would?" I blurted out.

His face turned deadly, and his eyes screamed _danger,_ "For _you_?" I nodded at him, "For you, I would do just about anything, Kiz. No one fucks with my blood and gets away with it."

Somehow, that made me feel a little better. But then, the words he had spoke, sunk in.

_He would kill for me? _

He nodded at my unspoken question; like he knew I had asked myself that.

"Don't forget my words, Kiz. I mean what I say. _Always."_

I sat back in my chair, trying to relax a little. But then there was a knock on the door that made my body tense immediately. I knew who was on the other side, and I wanted to bolt out of the window to avoid _him._

My father spoke, and I about jumped out of my skin, "Calm down, Rosemarie. I will go out and talk to him if you want."

I thought about it for a minute, then gave him my answer.

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**Okay, how did you guys like it?**

**I want some feedback. Please?**

**The more reviews, the faster you get an update! ;)**

_**much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen~~~**_


	10. Chapter 9 Revelation's

**I know this is short, but I didnt want to leave you guys off where I did. I know I leave you with alot of cliffhangers. But that is what keeps the story going!**

**I would say I'm sorry -but I'm not. *_evil laugh* Okay, I'm sorry! Dont send me any flames! PLEASE!_**

**You know that I love all of you!**

**Anyway I hope you enjoy!**

**Much lurve,**

**~~~Carmen~~~**

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**RPOV**

I sat there for a minute trying to collect my thoughts -and emotions. My stomach was twisted into a knot. I knew Dimitri had told me he loved me earlier, but what would he think of me after going through the turmoil of losing me? Would he hate me for making him feel that horrible, even if it wasn't my fault? After all, Abe had been the one to arrange a 'fake' death. I thought I was going in for the real thing whenever Hans and Mikhail had traipsed me across court this morning. It was only when it was explained to me -not so long ago - that I came to realize that I _wasn't _actually dieing.

I felt my brows furrowed, so I raised my hand absently rubbing them. It was then that I saw everyone in the room was looking at me expectantly. There was another knock on the door. Pavel and Dimitri, were no doubt, waiting on the other side.

"Alright," I announced in the silent room, "I will deal with this," I looked at Abe, his face was a calm façade as ever. Does anything faze the man? Honestly? "But, I want privacy. All of you have to leave."

Abe started to say something but I beat him to it, "This is the best you're going to get. My way or no way. Your choice."

As if they were connected, everyone in the room stood up and strode to the door. Abe was the last in line. He turned back to me, taking a few steps toward me. I rose from my seat so I could meet him.

He placed his hands on my shoulders, "You can do this, Kiz. I know you can." He then kissed me on the forehead and turned on his heel walking to the door.

"Dad?" I took him by surprise calling him that. After all he had done for me, I thought he deserved that respect. He turned back to face me, "Can I just have a moment? Please? You know, to….prepare?"

He gave me a big grin, "Just a minute." I knew what he meant. It would _only_ be a minute before he would let him in. He nodded at me then left.

I took a few deep breaths. Chanting to myself over and over; _Dimitri still loved me no matter what. It was going to be fine. _I hoped.

I jumped when I heard the doorknob turn. I was so deep in thought, the minute of my reprieve seemed like only a few seconds.

Dimitri walked through the door, gasping when he saw me standing there. His eyes went wide and his breathing hitched. I couldn't speak. I was too apprehensive to do so.

"Rose? Roza, is that really you?" his voice was soft spoken. His head had done a double take when he first laid eyes on me. Disbelief flashed across his face - along with many other emotions, some I didn't even recognize- and his mouth went slack. He didn't stay in his stupor for long though. He moved at Strigoi speed toward me. He had his arms wrapped around me before I knew he had even left the door. He was running his hands along my body to make sure I was not an illusion from his mind, "Roza," he breathed repeatedly. "I knew you weren't dead. I knew I would know if you were. God, thank you so, so much," he leaned down and brushed his lips to mine, "I knew you weren't dead. I knew it. I love you so much, Roza. I do. I want you forever," he pulled back so he could look me in the eyes, "Don't _ever, ever_ do that to me again. Promise? Promise me, Rose. I cant go through that again. _Promise me, please!" _he begged, shaking me slightly.

I looked him dead in the eyes, "I promise you, Dimitri. _I _will never do that to you again." I told him truthfully.

"I knew something was off," he murmured into my hair. Taking my head into his hands, he started kissing me all over my face, starting with my forehead, moving to my cheeks, then my nose, eyes, finally coming to rest on my lips. "I knew you wasn't gone from me. I could feel it. I love you. I love you. I love you." he murmured over and over.

I realized that I hadn't took an appeasing breath till that moment. My head was getting light whether from lack of oxygen or Dimitris' kisses, I really couldn't differentiate which. But it was due to one of them. If I would have to take a guess; it would be from the kisses. They were that great. Thrilling me to the core of my existence. I was so worried he would be pissed. But he wasn't. He still loved me. I wrapped my arms around him tightening the hold I had on him.

He pulled back ever so slightly, looking me in the eyes, "What happen? How- how did this happen. You were executed. But …but here you are. My love. My life." he took a short breath while still gazing into my eyes. His hold on me was gripping, like if he would let up just a little I would dissipate from his grasp.

"_Abe_," I answered giving him a pointed look. But with that one word, I had answered his question. Understanding flashed in his eyes.

"I should have known. Zmey. If anyone had the resources, he does," Dimitri flashed me a pearly white smile, chuckling softly while shaking his head; then lowered his lips to mine again. I deepened the kiss further. So long I had went without him holding me, now having him in my arms just felt so right, natural. The way it was suppose to be. Him and I forever. I didn't ever want to leave the comfort of his strong, protective, loving arms.

We had a full 'make-out' session right there in the conference room. We were just enjoying the comfort of a lovers embrace. Yes, that's right, a _lovers embrace._ Cause quite frankly, that's what we were -are. Till the day we _both_ die. He was mine and I was his. Taken. We had staked our claim on one another long ago. The first night we met. Even though we didn't know it then, we had a soul-connection. Something that couldn't, nor wouldn't, ever be broken. Some people wait their whole lives to have one, and here I was. With mine, the one I had stumbled upon by actions that took place years earlier resulting in him assigned to look for Lissa and I. It was a snowball effect causing soul-mates to collide. So yes, I was one of the lucky few in this world.

I don't know how long we were getting familiarize with one another again, but Abe poked his head in the door and cleared his throat -a few times. We heard him but choice to ignore his gesture.

"Rose? Dimitri?" someone said. "Ahem." there were a few chuckles that my brain registered, "Ah, hello?"

I broke the kiss so I could do what I had to. Even though I _really, really _didn't want to. For once in my life I was really truly happy. Dimitri brought that into my life and as long as I knew he was there, I would remain that way. I peered around his shoulder so I could see who was beckoning for our attention.

We had a full audience in attendance. Everyone that was in the room earlier - and then some, say like Pavel and Cedric - were gathered around the door watching us. I felt a blush creep to my face. Dimitri cupped my chin with his fingers, bringing my eyes up to meet his.

"Don't." he whispered.

"Don't what?" I asked

"Don't be ashamed of what we have. I love you and I will announce it to the world if you wanted me to. I love you so much, Roza. You have no idea what I would do for you. If _someone _would had filled me in on the game plan, I would've helped out. Don't forget that. I. Love. You."

Abe strode up to us just then and rested his hand on Dimitris' shoulder, "We had to keep you in the dark, son. For your own benefit. Trust me, it was for your own good."

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We filled Dimitri in on the plan: Abe had rented an apartment not too far from court that I could hole up in. Dimitri insisted on staying there with me. _Protection_, as he called it. I didn't argue with him. I was really wanting to get acquainted with his body again. Another cabin experience. Oh yeah. I had waited too long, and I was in desperate need for a release. Just looking at him made my inside quiver with anticipation.

So the plan was no one else could know so that we -by we, I mean Abe and his mafia - could flush out the real killer. They already had a lead they were following and didn't need Dimitri and my interference. I didn't object. But the one thing I did have a problem with, was Lissa nor Adrian could know that I was still alive. That was a big down side. I knew how bad Lissa was hurting and I wanted to comfort her. I hated to see her like that. And Adrian, well he was a total and complete mad man. But Abe insisted for now.

Dimitri gave the letter to Abe to read and he immediately called a few people getting them on finding files for Eric Dragomir. I also informed him of my video chat with Sydney Sage. He said it wouldn't take him long on finding the child. I had total faith in his capabilities.

Dimitri left to tell his family goodbye; tell them he had gotten an assignment away from court. So that brings me to where I am now. Sitting in a luxury suite somewhere hidden in one of the tunnels at court. Who would have thought that something like this room, could exist in a run down, underground tunnel? I was very stunned to learn that fact. So we are waiting for daylight before I will be brought to the apartment that my dad had bought- rented- as my hide out.

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I was just getting out of the bathtub when I heard the guards outside of my room door -letting Dimitri inside. I wrapped my hair in a towel and one around my body, then went to greet him. When I caught sight of his face I froze. He had a outraged expression and his fist were clenched. He looked like he could knock a brick wall down with them. I immediately jolted toward him.

"What? What's wrong?" my voice was frantic. Not too many things make him like this. So no, this was not a good thing. It took him a few seconds to quit shaking with anger before he could answer me. And when he did, my blood ran ice cold. There went my relaxing two hour soak in the tub!

"Rose, back away. I don't want to hurt you. So please back off." his voice was frightening calm. It scared me enough to take a few steps back, stumbling into the king sized bed that was in the suite. I sat down, somehow I knew I would need to be sitting for whatever he was going to tell me.

"What is wrong, Dimitri? You're scaring me." my insides were shaking with fear. Whether it was from him hurting me unintentionally; or what he was about to tell me- I didn't know.

He took a deep, calming breath then spoke, "I think I know who the murderer is that set you up. And I think I know the reason you were targeted." his body was still convulsing in animated rage. Something I had never seen in him before. And it was a very scary sight.

The towel that was draped around me swung loose and fell to the floor. My hands flew to my mouth, 'cause I knew he was being very serious.

"I am going to _kill _them. Do you hear me? I am going to hurt them so bad that they wish for the death that wont befall them too quickly." he told me through gritted teeth. His eyes were blazing with fury.

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**REVIEW! PLEASE?**

**I really do hope you all enjoyed it!**

**_~~~Carmen_**


	11. Chapter 10 Yeva Knows Something

**Okay I have never done this before, so here it goes. I love writing and reading stories. I would never be disrespectful to any author. I expect a little repect myself. I'm not the type of person to be mean or rude to anyone. Ever.**

**I guess the saying _'_**_There's one is every crowd'_ **is true after all.**

**If you dont like my story, then dont read it. I dont know how to be more blunt about it. Negative reviews make me not even want to write. However, there are way more positive reviews than negative. All I can say is if you dont like how I end a chapter, THEN DONT READ IT. I cant be more straight up about it then that.**

**Sorry to all of my writing fans who do like my work. You are the ones who keep me going.**

**Now that I got my little rant out of the way, Enjoy this chapter.**

**The tune for this chapter is;**

_'Never Gonna Leave This Bed' By Maroon 5 (of course)_

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen**_

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_**RPOV**_

I was still sitting on the bed in the suite that was located in the tunnel under court. I didn't know what to make of Dimitris' attitude. I had never in all the time I had known him, seen this side of him. He was just too livid beyond reason. He had took to pacing the room in front of me. With every step he took, made his body jar with force. His eyes were blazing with fury. Not anger. He had surpassed that long ago. So yeah, blind fury.

"Dimitri," I started hesitantly. He didn't even seem like he had heard that I spoke. So I raised my tone a little, "Dimitri." This time he did look at me, but continued pacing.

I picked up my towel and wrapped it back around me so I wasn't sitting there having a conversation in the nude,"You have got to tell me what is going on."

He came to a stop about a foot away from me, "Rose," he said shaking his head, "you have less self control than I do. If I told you what is going on, you would march across court and kill her. So no. I cant. I cant afford for you to be found out about."

_What the hell did he just tell me? Her? Her who? And here at court? The killer is at court_?

He took back up his pacing before I had registered what he had just told me.

"Who is her? And if she is at court and is the killer, is Lissa safe? I've got to go to Lissa. _Now!"_ I was off the bed in a flash looking for clothes to put on. I would not let anything happen to her. So yeah. My ass was getting out of this room and going find my best friend.

Before I had made it two steps, Dimitri had grabbed me by the waist pulling me close to him. Trying to restrain me.

"Let me go. _Right the fuck now!"_

"See? _Do you see why I cant tell you what is going on?_ I know how you are, Rose. I know you will kill the bitch before I could." His earlier ranting tone had turned into something a little above a whisper in my ear. There was a pleading note in his voice. He had me pressed firmly to his body so I couldn't get loose.

"Fine," I resigned, "tell me what is going on and I want to know who you are talking about. Then I will determine if I think Lissa is in danger or not," then I quickly added, "_but you have to be completely honest with me."_ I felt him nod and he slowly loosened his grip on me, but not totally. He probably thought I might just bolt for the door anyway.

"Sit, Roza. I will tell you what I know. But first let me get a message to Abe. He needs to know as well." Dimitri pulled out his phone and dialed my father. They spoke only briefly. Abe was coming here as soon as he could, I had gathered from the conversation.

After Dimitri hung up the phone he took my hand and sat next to me on the bed, "It was Yeva-"

"_What! Yeva didn't kill Tatiana,"_ I shrieked.

Dimitri gave an exasperated sigh, "No, of course not! Yeva told me she thinks she knows. She had Oksana use her, um, gift to explore someone's mind; because Yeva had got a bad vibe from -" He wasn't talking fast enough for me.

"Who, Dimitri? Who are you talking about and don't beat around the bush with it!"

He looked me in my eyes. I could tell it was killing him to give up this bit of information, but on the other hand, he knew he _had_ to tell me.

"Tasha, Rose. Tasha did it because of the age law. And- And well, to get you out of the picture so she could get with me. I think my rejection of her made her bitter toward you. Somehow she figured out we had a ..a thing between us, and that was the reason why I had rejected her. So she-"

I cut him off, "So she wanted to kill two birds with one stone. Get me out of the way and get rid of Tatiana once an for all." _Oh my god. Why didn't I see it?_

"That's just my theory, Rose. I don't know for sure. And I don't know how to prove it. This is something that came from using Spirit. Something that is still new to people. It would be our word against hers. I also have another theory. She _wants_ Lissa to get her council vote. She was against the age law. So I don't think Lissa is in immediate danger right now."

"That's why she disappeared when I was arrested. And when did she show back up? The day she thought I was being executed." I could hardly think straight. I had a ton of things whirling around in my head. But then something occurred to me.

"Dimitri, the day I was thrown out of the announcement of the age decree, I was watching the rest of the meeting through Lissa. Tasha was trying to use her and Adrian's magic to persuade the council into using them as a spirit saving army against the Strigoi. That is how she was making her case. There was even one guy she singled out there about his brother being turned against his will," Dimitri tensed under me at those words, but listened to what I was saying intently. Absorbing all of my words like they were some kind of commandment sent from God.

"She told him that his brother could be brought back to him before the guardians found him and stake him. The guy was almost crying right there on the spot. That is how she was going about things. She was trying to use my friends in order to get her way. When that didn't work she pinned a murder on me thinking she could get it that way. The day I was thrown out of the announcement of the age decree, Ambrose came to me and took me to his Aunt Rhonda. She did a tarot card reading for me. One of the cards was the Queen of Swords. At the time of the reading, I thought she might have been talking about Tatiana, but now the reading makes perfect sense. "

"What did Rhonda tell you?"

"She said I had an enemy. I think one of the other cards, the Page of Cups I think the name of it was. I think that one foretold Lissas' sibling. It has to be a younger one 'cause it was the lowest in the rank. It has an order, King, Queen, an so on. The page is the lowest. But she couldnt see the card too well. She said that the cards speak to her and she said that one was the only one that was blurry, I guess you could call it. She also said that I would be going on a journey. A real out and about journey, not an emotional one," I stopped right there for a minute trying to remember what she told me,"Well, she said it may include an emotional journey as well. But I think I have been riding that roller coaster for a while now."

I was _not_ about to tell him about the card for my love life. That was better kept to myself. The whole time that I was telling my story, he just kept his eyes glued to me, "Getting back to the enemy card, it was inverted. That means all the traits get all twisted, but anyway. She told me that she thrives on knowledge, can outwit her opponent, smart... _God,_ what was the other thing?"

I had to take a minute and try to gather my thoughts. I was only half listening to Rhonda at the time, so my memory was eluding me. But I think I recalled them fairly well if I do say so my self. Then it hit me.

"Ambitious! That's what she said. But she is going about it in insincere what I was just telling you. Tasha was using my friends to get her fucking way! That goddamn bitch. I should had seen it then. She pulled the wool right over my eyes. How was I so stupid!" Dimitri pulled me onto his lap, wrapping me up in his arms.

He rested his forehead against mine, the scent of him was driving me crazy -even though we were having a very serious disscussion. Being near him, sent my sense's on high alert. I loved the feel of his body contact with mine. The way he would look at me with lust in his eyes. The way his aftershave smelled on him. The way his hair would hang around his face. I just loved everything about him. Even his western cowboy fantasy. Yes, I loved everything he had to offer.

"You're not stupid, Rose. She was a friend." he said, then added bitterly "Or so she made it seem."

"You cant go with me to the apartment. You have to stay here and keep Lissa safe," It took everything I had in me to utter my next words I was about to him, but I had to make sure Lissa was safe. Just in case, "You can get close to Tasha. Even though I cant stand the skanky, conniving, scarred face, bitch. The thought of her touching you, makes me what to wrap my hands around her throat and kill the whore." I hadn't realized I was almost screaming till I took a breath.

Dimitri cupped my face with one of his hands, "No. There is no way in hell I am letting you out of my sight from here on out. I am sticking with you for the rest of your life. So get use to having me glued to you. Got it?" I could see the pain in his eyes. I knew Tasha had hurt him more than me- even if she had set me up for murder- he still thought of her as a loyal friend.

"_Loyal friend my ass."_ I muttered out loud.

Dimtiri cocked his head to the side, staring at me with a questioning look on it, "What did you say?"

I shook my head, "Nothing." I muttered.

His face turned back to looking deep in thought, "How did she get your stake though? I don't get that part." He asked.

I thought back to the last time I had see my stake. It had been the night Adrian had spent the night and I had let him bi-. My face flushed bright red. I could feel my face and chest getting heated at the thought of what I had done. It had been a weak moment in my life, and I had made a big mistake. But I think it could have been worse if I'd had acutal intercourse with Adrian. I guess you could call it, _'Choosing the less of two evils.'_

"_Oh my god!" _I cried before I had thought better of it. Well shit, now I had to tell him. I didn't know how to inform him of my startling revelation. How could I bring this up the right way?

It's not like he don't already know, but then again, Adrian was a very touchy subject to the both of us.

"Dimitri, the last time I had my stake," I paused right there to take a deep breathe, releasing it slowly, "was the night Adrian, um-." Understanding crossed his face.

"So do you think she got in the room later that night?" His tone was hard. I knew visions were swimming in his mind about what I had done. But that was before he came back to me. I had no right to feel guilty. But I did anyway.

"My door probably didn't close to where it would lock on its own. Adrian sleeps hard. No one can wake him up easily. And well, me? I was kind of out of it. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive, Rose. It doesn't matter now. You and I are together. For the remainder of our lives, _we are together. _Aren't we? I mean, if you want me that is. It's your decision too._"_

"I love you. Of course I want you, Dimitri Belikov. _Forever_!" I told him. His eyes softened a little. He had a lot of love shining in his brown orbs.

"As I do you. I love you so much, Roza." He pulled me to him and kissed me with dizzying passion. I pulled back a little.

"Are we okay? I mean I am going to talk to Adr-"

I was cut off by another kiss.

"We are starting fresh from this monment on." He murmured against my lips.

There was a loud knock on the door that made both of us jump.

"That's got to be Abe. I'll be right back." He removed me from his lap so he could answer the door.

"Hang on a sec, I want to put on some," I swept my hands over my body, "some clothes. I don't think my father is going to want to see me semi-naked."

He waited for me to get dressed. When I was done he opened the door.

When he swung it open, we both were shocked to see the person that was standing on the other side. And it wasn't Abe.

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**And we are left with another cliffhanger.**

**At least I dont leave you guys dangling for long!**

**I like to hear where you think I am going with this story!**

_**Till next time,**_

_**~~~Carmen**_


	12. Chapter 11 Dimitri's Aura

**Okay guys, here is another chapter. I don't like to toot my own horn, but I'm on a roll. I know I'm spoiling you toooo much. LOL.**

**I'm really trying to get this story done before Last Sacrifice comes out. I think I know the who's and the whys. But I cant really think of a way they are gonna 'save' Rose. I know Abe and Dimitri are going to be involved somehow. Just don't know how :{**

**I just want to get it out there, so I can say 'I told ya so' on the parts that I do get correct. LOL.**

**Anyway, I love all of you and I want to thank everyone for reading my humble story.**

**Thank you all for your reviews. It makes me take a step back and view the story differently.**

**YOU GUYS ROCK!**

**I'M REALLY TRYING TO NOT LEAVE A CLIFF HANGER IN THIS CHAPTER, BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS! **

**I don't think it's too bad.**

**Anyway, happy reading to all.**

_**Till next time my friends,**_

_**~~~Carmen**_

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**RPOV**

Well, it's too late to run for cover now. May as well get this over with and talk to him. _Fuck!_ How in the hell did he know I was down here?

Adrian's green eyes went wide the second he saw me and all the color drained out of his face; making him look deathly pale. His mouth was gaped open like a fish in desperate need of oxygen. He blinked his eyes rapidly a few times and ground his fist rubbing them. Like he was trying to shake away any apparition he may have been seeing.

Dimitri was still standing at the door -guarding me. He was trying to shield the fact that I was here; when obviously Adrian could see with his own two eyes that I was seated on the bed that was only fifteen feet away from him. I got up and walked over to Dimitri. His gaze had never left Adrian's face. It looked like he may have been having a staring contest to anyone else but me. I knew better. He couldn't stand Adrian just for the simple fact of jealousy. It touched my heart and pissed me off at the same time. I reached Dimitri and placed a hand on his shoulder. His eyes shifted to me for a second then went right back to staring Adrian down.

"Lets take this inside. We don-." I was cut short when Adrian swooped in and lifted me off the ground, squeezing me tight. For a Moroi, he was pretty strong.

He was feeling my head, face, then my arms. He took a step back, still keeping a firm hold on my arms, and looked me up and down. My guess was to make sure that I was indeed a solid being, and not some spirit floating around underground at court, "God, Rose, you're alive. I am so happy you're alive. I cant believe it," he pulled back and narrowed his eyes at me, then shifted to Dimitri. After giving Dimitri a sufficient enough glare, he rested them back on me, "How? And more importantly, why did you not tell me, and you did him? Why?" His expression was filled with hurt. He felt betrayed because I -or more like Abe- didn't let him either in on the rouse.

"I didn't know either, until a little earlier today." Dimitri told him in a gruff tone. Dimitri looked like he wanted to snap Adrian's neck the moment he laid a hand on me, but he didn't. If he would've tried, I didn't know if I would have been able to restrain him.

Adrian rolled his eyes at him, "Yeah, right. And Santa Claus exist." He said sarcastically.

"He didn't and neither did I, until a few hours ago, Adrian. Trust me, this was a shocker to us all." I told him.

I grabbed Adrian by the arm and led him inside. Dimitri slammed the door hard and stomped over to the bed and plopped down. He looked like he may have been…..sulking? Dimitri, sulking? I didn't think that he had it in him to behave that way. Guess the unexpected does happen.

I led Adrian to the only chair in the room, it also happened to be facing the bed. He sat down and looked as if he were going to pull me onto his lap. But I quickly moved out of his reach taking up residence next to Dimitri on the bed. I seen hurt flash across his face, but I needed to cut the strings with Adrian. I couldn't keep leading him on when my heart belonged to someone else. That someone else was sitting right next to me giving him the death glare. I really didn't want to have the whole _'I'm sorry I don't love you like that,'_ conversation in front of Dimitri, but I guess I had no choice. First though, I had to tell him as much as I could with out blowing all of the plans that we had made.

Dimitri grasped my hand and I scooted closer to him. Our legs and arms were pressed up against each other from the closeness of our proximity. Adrian looked like he wanted to burn a hole through Dimitri when he had grabbed my hand, but he didn't say anything about it. The friction in the air was so painfully obvious. I didn't want to hurt either of these wonderful guys. But then again, I could only be with one of them. I had made my choice a long time ago. I never should've told Adrian I would give him a chance in the first place. That was one of the biggest mistakes I had ever made in my life. Not trying with him, leading him on, when I knew I could never reciprocate the feelings he felt toward me. I loved Adrian in a different way than I did Dimitri. And the time had come to finally end the charade with Adrian. He could move on and find someone who loved only him.

Adrian spoke, bringing me out of my reverie, or more like an epiphany.

"What the fuck is going on, Rose?" He sounded sober and I didn't detect any alcohol when we had hugged.

Dimitri and I looked at each other. My unspoken question was answered when he nodded his head. I loved that about us. We could just look at each other and know what the other is thinking about. That just proved my point of my earlier musings. Adrian and I didn't connect anywhere near the level of connection Dimitri and I had shared.

I let out a long sigh, then started in on telling him as much detail as I could -excluding knowing about Tasha, and looking for the sibling of Lissa's. I did however, tell him that we were trying to flush out the real killer. After Adrian ranted and screamed at me for a really long time, he finally relaxed enough that his voice had come back to a normal level.

"Why weren't we in on it, Rose? I would've helped. And so could've he," he pointed to Dimitri, "We wouldn't have said anything to anybody. We went through hell." Adrian raked his fingers through his hair a couple of times, making sighing sounds as he did.

"Adrian," Dimitri started, "it's like Abe said, if we would've known then our actions wouldn't have acted accordingly toward the death of someone we love. We could not have pulled this off any other way. I've accepted it and so should you."

Adrian was looking at Dimitri with pure hate in his eyes. A thought occurred to me just then, the same one that stuck me when I had first seen him at the door.

"How did you know I was down here? How did you figure it out and does anyone else know?" I asked. If anyone else did know, then everything that we had accomplished would had been in vain. I had took a deep breath while waiting for Adrian to respond to my question. My heart was thundering in my chest. I wouldn't doubt the men in the room could hear it's pounding. I felt like it was about to take wings and soar.

Adrian's attention snapped back to me. He was still looking like he was in shock because I was very much alive; and not a pile of ashes that he paid homage to when he attended my memorial earlier.

"I saw Dimitri earlier when he was talking to his family, Rose," he paused right there for a moment, scrubbing his face with one hand, while he had the other rubbing his temple, "When I saw him, I noticed the change in his aura. The only time I see his aura like it was, is," he gave a pointed, hateful look at Dimitri, then refocused on me. His eyes softened when he gazed back at me, " The only time it is as bright as it is now, is when he is with, or around you. I saw him at the chapel and his aura was almost as bleak as yours. He disappeared earlier when one of Abe's henchmen pulled him away right after _your memorial_ service. But when I saw him after he came back without Abe's minions, it had grown a lot brighter. Like it is right now. It caught my eye immediately and I knew right then, something was fishy. That itself was enough to give him away. There was also another thing. He didn't look like a stark raving mad man. Something he has been the whole time you were in lock up. So when I saw him with his family a little while ago, I decided to follow him to see where he was going. Sure enough, I was right," then he added with a huge grin, "_As usual."_

I scoffed at his last remark.

"See," Dimitri pointed out, "that is why they had to do what they did. If you noticed a change in me like that. Even without the freakish spirit ability," Adrian scowled at the remark about his magic, but didn't interrupt, "then someone else could have noticed. Because I know I can keep my face and emotions in check," Dimitri paused right there to look at me with an adoring smile on his face, love was very evident in his eyes. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze, then added, "most of the time. We have to be very careful."

"Adrian, you can't tell a soul. Not even Lissa can know. Understand?" I firmly told him. Even though I desperately wanted to tell my best friend. I wanted to hold her and tell her I was still alive. But, for now I couldn't.

He looked at me with a 'duh' expression, "Rose, do I look like a total idiot? I'm not saying shit." He crossed his arms over his chest in a protective manner. A scornful look was plastered to his face.

I flashed him a huge grin, "Thank you."

He looked at me intently, "What about Lissa. Do you know she is in serious depression right now?"

I nodded my head, "Yes. I've been keeping an eye on her and I don't like where her thoughts are leading her. I want to tell her so bad." Dimitri squeezed my hand. I glanced at him. His eyes were filled with compassion. He knew how hard it was for me not to tell her.

"Rose," Adrian spoke, "I know there is something you're not telling me. I can read it in your aura. What is it. I wont tell anyone at all. It says between us and the four walls. You can trust me. The last thing I would ever do is jeopardize your safety, Rose." Wow, he must really be pissed at me, 'cause he had not once called me by the nickname he had gave me.

Something dawned on me, "How did you get in here. I mean, how did you get passed the guards positioned outside the door?" The guards were there not to keep me in -well, maybe that was a part of it- but more to keep others out.

He looked pointedly at me, "Compulsion, Rose. Do you forget?" He smiled, but it didn't touch his eyes. "Now what else are you keeping from me?" I knew my aura was giving away my deception, not the fact that I wasn't _able_ to lie to him. He couldn't detect when I was straight up lying like Dimitri could, but I guess the guilt was written all in my aura.

_Damn spirit users!_

I looked at Dimitri, he shook his head.

I looked back at Adrian, "I cant" I whispered.

"The hell you cant, Rose," His voice was booming. He jumped out of his seat, "I want to help you. I can't help if you don't tell me the whole story. It was _my_ aunt that we're talking about here, after all. And the fact that she was _murdered. _I deserve some answers." The crazy look he got from spirit's side effect was raging in his eyes. Somehow, I didn't think the look was so much from spirit, as it was the fact of him wanting to help me -desperately.

I turned back to Dimitri, asking -begging him with my eyes. He shrugged his shoulders, like he was telling me that it was up to me if I had wanted to include him in on the plan.

I hesitated briefly, then asked, "Are you sure you can handle it, Adrian? It's a pretty big bomb to drop." I wasn't totally convinced he could, but he won me over by using his aunts death on me.

He looked into my eyes, then gave me a quick nod of the head.

"Alright then, Tasha." I told him in a level voice.

"Huh? What about her?"

"She's the one who did it." I then proceeded to tell him the whole story. By the end of my story telling, Adrian was spitting fire. He may have been a spirit user, but right now he looked as if his element was red hot flames. He appeared like he could shoot bolts of lightning with just his eyes alone. _I prayed that I just didn't make a very big mistake in telling him about her._

"That fucking bitch." then he exploded, "I'm going to choke her, then torture her a whole hell of a lot." He had the look of a deranged person on his face. Whether that be from her killing his aunt, or brought on from Spirits side effects -I didn't have a clue. I would've thought the former, if I had to guess.

"You cant, Adrian. We have to keep this on the down low. You have to act like nothing out of the ordinary has happened. Understand?"

He eyed something in the room, then got up and strode to the little mini fridge that was in the corner. It held all sorts of booze in it. _Could he actually smell alchohol that was in an unopened container? _He grabbed the first thing he laid his hands on and chugged it without stopping for a breather. Then he grabbed another one and went back to his seat.

Dimitri put his arm around my waist giving me the cue to talk to him about our relationship. I knew as well as he did, that the time had arose to get it over with. Even though we had just laid a big plate in his lap, I had to get this out of the way.

"Roza, do you want some privacy with him? I'll leave the room, but I will just be outside of the door in case you need me." He told me looking directly into my eyes. Searching for the answer in them. I didn't have time to reply, because Adrian exploded.

"What the fuck, Belikov? I'm not going to hurt her you- you prick." Uh oh, I didn't think that was a good sign. Things could get really ugly really fast.

Dimitri was on his feet before Adrian had even finished his sentence, "Adrian, you may be _royal, _but you will not get away with disrespecting me," then he pointed a finger to me, "nor her, like that," he roared

Adrian kicked into action and stood up from his seat, spilling most of the contents of his drink on the floor. He got a few inches from Dimitri. They were almost nose to nose, both of the men had their chest bowed up.

"God, there is too much testosterone in this room." I groaned. "I could probably get pregnant by it if I stay here too much longer!" But they ignored my comments.

"Do something about it!" He challenged. "What if you did hit me? You would go back to your little cell for a long, long time!" Adrian threatened.

Dimitri looked like he might snap at a moments notice, "Don't threaten me, _boy_. I'm not scared of you or your jail cell," Dimitri's voice had turned ice cold. He was actually starting to scare me. "You were trying to turn her into you own personal bloodwhore."

Adrian snorted, "I'll show you a _boy, _Belikov. I only bit her once. You want to talk about someone turning her into a bloodwhore? Go look in a mirror! How many times did you bite her?" I didn't like where this was going, nor did I like what they were talking about. I had to put a end to it. Fast.

Dimitri's body went rigid. "You're element is spirit,_ boy_. I would advice if you don't want your body to match it, you'd better sit back down before I mak-." I knew he was about to do something he would regret later. I had to do some damaged control with the situation at hand. _Quickly._

"_Enough_," I screamed, jumping off the bed, "That is enough. Now both of you sit down." I tried to wiggle my way in between them, but I couldn't because they were standing so close together.

They both looked like they wanted to kill each other right there. Dimitri's hands were balled into fist at his side, and Adrian's eyes were blazing. They were in full battle mode. I was expecting one of them to take a swing any second. I kept pushing on both of their chest trying to tear them apart. It took me a few minutes of them being bowed up to each other, before I could make any progress. After a few moments, I achieved my goal.

Both of the men sat back down. Adrian was scowling at Dimitri, and Dimitri's jaw was clamped down so hard I thought he might just break a few teeth

"We need to talk about us." I said. Adrian snorted a cynical laugh.

"There is no _'us.' _I gave that dream away the second he came back. I knew you would do this. I really hope you have a happy life," His words were not harsh, nor hurtful, "Rose, you are my best friend. And I love you a lot, but I know I can never make you happy like he does. So yeah, I am happy for you. Really." I could tell that he spoke the honest truth with his words.

Just then Abe walked into the room.

"What the hell is going on in here? I heard shouting all the way down the corridor!" he said.

"Nothing that I cant handle." I took Dimitri's hand with mine, lacing his fingers with mine.

Then I was suddenly sucked into Lissa's head.

She was in the bathroom that was in her room. She was sitting against the wall crying. She had so many things running around in her mind, that I couldn't single out but two thoughts. The first, was that she couldn't deal with the emotional pain of losing me. And the next, was how she was trying to release some of it. Through physical pain. She had a razor blade in her hand cutting into her forearm. She already had cut herself quite a few times. I could see through her eyes, that there was blood pooled on the floor around her.

I yanked myself from her head, coming back to the suite in the tunnels.

Everyone looked concerned for me, but they all knew where I was, "Lissa," I breathed, "Lissa is cutting herself again."

Dimitri tensed by my side at the mention of that. I felt my tears hit my cheeks as they fell.

"She has to know. She wont tell anyone. I have to get to her," I sobbed, "Please?" I directed to the leader of our little group. Abe.

"Kiz, you cant. We cant aff-"

I cut him off, "I can't afford to hurt her anymore. She has to know, Abe. _She has to." _I pleaded, "This is my life. I can make some of the decisions in it. I. Want. Her. To. Know."

"Alright then, if you trust her, then so do I. I will send Pavel to retrieve her."

"No," Dimitri spoke, "I will get her myself." He got up, gave me a quick kiss, then walked to the door closing it softly.

* * *

**Not too bad of a cliffy.**

**How did you guys like this chapter?**

_**Much lurve,**_

_**~~~Carmen~~~**_


	13. Chapter 12 Stark Raving Mad Rose

**Okay guys, I'm doing something a little different in this chapter. This a **_**My**_** POV. I thought that it would be most useful in this chapter. You guys will see why when you read this. It was so much easier than switching back and forth. So I hope you all like it.**

**I want to thank everyone for reading and sub. I love writing this story and I love that you love it.**

**That's why I do it. For all of our enjoyment and obsession with VA! **

**I am honestly counting the days down till Dec. 7****th****. 23 days left! YAY!I don't care if I have to stand in a snow storm, waiting four hours outside Books a Million to get my copy. I will do it!**

**Is anyone going to release party? I wish I could find one somewhere near me. I also wish RM would even come close enough so I wouldn't have to drive 17 hours to see her. I am honestly thinking about taking the trip anyway. Obsessed much? The answer: Yes, yes I am! I love her work! **

**Okay, here goes: **

**Disclaimer: I do not own VA nor its characters! (damn it!)**

**Enjoy!**

**Song,**

'_Better Off This Way' by Maroon 5 (Yes, you all knew that already!)_

**Much lurve,**

**~~~Carmen~~~**

**

* * *

**

**_My POV_**

Lissa couldn't take it anymore. The pain that she was feeling in her heart and head, was just too much for her to bare. She knew Rose was in a better place. She hated the thought of her best friend locked up in a jail cell for the rest of her life, but she was wanting to be selfish. She wanted her friend alive. With her. Whether that be in a cell or no, she wanted her _alive._ She knew Rose would go absolutely insane in a cell for the rest of her life, but at least she would be alive. She couldn't get passed that one emotion. Selfishness. What _she_ wanted, not Rose. She knew Rose would rather be dead than living with the other alterative.

She had to find a way for her to release it, even if that meant using a _physical_ outlet. So she left Christian sleeping in her bed, grabbed her purse and went into the bathroom. She hadn't done anything like what she was about to do, since she was caught in the Academy's chapel. She had promised Rose she would never do it again. She had never thought she would. She never had any intention on breaking that promise. But Rose wasn't with her anymore, so she didn't see any reason to keep that promise. It's not like Rose would know. _Would she? Could she come back and haunt her?_

The grief of losing her best friend, drove Lissa to desperate measures. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. This pain was way worse than any she had ever felt before. This pain went all the way to her soul. _Literally._ Losing someone she was bonded to, along with that bonded person being like a sister, was something she had never felt before. No one, no matter even if they were in love with her or not, could understand her grief. So she did the best thing she knew to do. She took her purse with her into the bathroom, knowing full well she had a razor blade in it, and started making small slits in her arm. Causing blood to rise to the surface; falling lightly on the cold, wooden floor around her. She didn't apply enough pressure with the cutting, as to make her need medical treatment. Just enough to let her feel the sting of the burn, taking her mind off the matters of her heart and head.

It had been so long that she hadn't done something like this, that she had forgot what it truly felt like to get some of the stress off of her mind. She knew it was wrong what she was doing, but she couldn't think of a better way to find some relief. Her mind was a scatterbrain of different thoughts. She tried not to focus on one thing for too long. She didn't want to dwell on it. She did however, come up with a way to make all the people at court pay for their horrible crime of slaughtering her friend. She was going to make it her life's work to make sure each and every one of them suffered.

_Greatly._

One thought in particular, did occur to her besides her revenge on the court. She thought about what Rose would do if she had still been there. She laughed aloud thinking of how bad Rose would kick her ass. But if that was the price she would have to pay for her best friend to come back to her; she would gladly bend over for Rose; to give her full access. Letting her kick it for as long as she wanted to.

Lissa stiffened at the sound of someone approaching the bathroom door. At first, she thought it was Christian, but as they drew closer, she knew the footfalls were too heavy to be her boyfriend. There was a light rapping sound on the door and Lissa scrambled to her feet. She wanted to clean up her arm and the mess on the floor she had caused from her escapades.

Another knock on the door made her drop the blade she had in her hand. She swore aloud and hastily picked it up and threw it in the trash can.

"Hang on a sec. I'll be right there." She grabbed a few wet clothes so she could scrub the floor. Once done, she ran her arm under the facet to get some of the blood off then put a few band-aids on it. Finally when she finished, she put on her sweater to cover up the marks she had made, then proceeded to the door.

She wrenched it open, shocked to see the person on the other side, "Dimitri? How did you get in?"

Dimitri bowed slightly to her, then offered a small smile, "Princess, I need you to come with me."

"I-I …where are we going?" She was confused by Dimitri requesting her to go somewhere with him; but she would go nevertheless.

Dimitri's smile disappeared being replaced by a frown, "You will know soon enough, Princess."

Lissa frowned herself at the use of her title. She couldn't stand being called that -even if she was.

"Lissa, Dimitri. Call me Lissa, okay?" he nodded and gave a gentle smile, "Christian is sleeping. Let me leave him a note, so I can tell him I am with you and not to worry. Hang on a sec." She walked over to the table that was beside the bed and pulled a note tablet out of the drawer. She scribbled out a note informing Christian she would be right back and not to worry, then joined Dimitri once again.

"How did you get in?" She asked confused.

Dimitri gave her a frown, "The door was barely closed, Prin-Ah, Lissa. It must not had shut properly. I know they are suppose to lock once it's closed, but it wasn't. That is part of the reason I am here to get you." He didn't give up any more information than that, which left Lissa even more confused.

They walked out into the hall and closed the door behind them, making sure it was shut and locked. Once Dimitri felt satisfied no one could enter without a key, he started leading Lissa to their destination. Just as they neared the door to Lissa's building, he saw Tasha walking toward them. She had a huge grin on her face, exposing fangs and all. He internally shivered. No matter how much he wanted to kill the bitch, he knew it was imperative that he act normally around her.

"Dimka. Lissa." Tasha squealed. She pulled Lissa into a hug, then went to give one to Dimitri. Just like the last time he had encountered her, he avoided any physical contact from her. She frowned at him for a second, then went back to Miss Cheery. It made him sick to his stomach to see this traitor walking around free, but there was nothing he could do about it, for now.

"Tasha, how are you doing?" Lissa asked. Tasha looked between the two of them and started her questioning again.

"Where are you two headed so bright and early?" She had a smile on her face, but now that Dimitri knew the truth, he could detect the underlying curiosity. She wanted to stay informed of Rose's friends and family, so she would know immediately if she was jeopardizing her freedom.

"Good morning, Tasha. I could ask the same of you." Dimitri used her tactic against her. Tasha smiled, but he knew that that was just a front she was showing.

Tasha grabbed a lock of her hair and started twirling it in a flirtatious manner, "Just visiting my nephew and his beautiful girlfriend. I wanted to take them out to breakfast." Her tone was sickly sweet, making Dimitri want to hurl right there.

Lissa smiled at her, unbeknownst that she was the reason her best friend had been imprisoned for a horrendous act that the woman in front of her had committed.

"Christian is still sleeping, Tasha. If you want, you can go wake him up. He's been out for over 12 hours. God, he can snore when he's tired." Lissa gave a small laugh, but Dimitri knew she was covering up her pain behind the little joke she just had made. Dimitri knew exactly what she had been doing in the bathroom when he had knocked on the door. Rose had told him. As if that wasn't enough, Lissa had took a little while in opening up the door for him. Yes, he knew she was definitely trying to hide something. Only, she didn't know what he already knew.

The women were still talking. He deciphered the little bit of conversation that he had been tuned out for. He had totally zoned, so he didn't have to listen to Tasha run her damn mouth. He wanted nothing more then to wrap his hands around her throat and choke the living shit out of her right there. It took all he had to refrain from doing so, though. It also took a lot of effort just to remain civil with a calm façade. Like nothing in the world was wrong with Tasha and his relationship. Friendship, whatever.

From what he understood of the women's chatter, they were making dinner plans.

"We need to get moving, Princ- Lissa. We have to be somewhere. We're going to be late." He knew that there was nothing to be late for, he just used that as an excuse to pry the females away from one another.

Lissa looked up into his brown eyes, conveying a lot of confusion in her own. Tasha looked at the two of them skeptically again, but she still showed a jovial attitude.

"I'll see you tonight, Tasha. Dimitri is dragging me to god knows where." she gave the older woman a winning smile, laughing softly. The two of them hugged, then Tasha gave Dimitri an sexy, appealing -or so she thought- grin.

"Will you be coming, Dimka?" Her smile never faltering. Dimitri had been looking her in the eyes so it didn't give off a bad vibe as to make her suspicious. If he didn't know better, he would have thought she may have tried a little compulsion on him. Seeing as it was very hard to compel dhampirs, if she had she wasn't strong enough with it.

He shook his head, "Uh, no. I don't think so." He said those words a little too harshly. Tasha picked up on his tone and cocked her head to the side a little.

"Are you sure you cant join us? I would _love_ for you to come. It's been so long since we've had a chance to talk. It would be fun. You know. To get your mind off of things a little." She sounded like a whining child not having her mother buy her a candy in a store. He also picked up on what that _something_ was. _Rose._

He wanted nothing more than to crack her skull open right there. But years of self-control training, helped in restraining him.

He grinded his teeth together, trying to bite back a snide remark. It was hard for him to do, but he did manage.

"No. I'm sure I can't. I have plans later on." _And they're not with you._ He added in his head. Tasha's eyes flamed at the rejection, but she kept the smile on her face firmly in place.

"Alright then. If you change your mind, you know where I am." Flirtation at its finest. He knew it too. So did Lissa by the look her face. Lissa looked back and forth at the two of them and shook her head.

She drew a hesitant smile, and hugged Tasha goodbye. Dimitri watched to make sure the evil bitch, did indeed, go into the building and not follow them. When he was sure all was clear, he changed direction in which he was going. He had led Lissa the opposite way of their real destination, just in case the other woman was watching them. He knew that that action might had been a little over the top, but seeing as what Tasha had already accomplished, he wanted to make damn sure they were not followed.

Lissa looked at him with a worried expression then sighed, "What's going on? Why are we playing secret agent all of a sudden?"

Dimitri looked down at the woman with a confused look, "Huh?" He never heard what she had said. He had been too wrapped up in his thoughts on how to evade Tasha, to pay too much attention to the girl that had been walking with him.

Lissa frowned at him, "Are you okay?"

He looked at her again and nodded, "Here we are," He stepped ahead of them so he could hold the door open for her, "This is where we are headed."

Lissa walked through the door and looked around, "Where are we? I've never been in this building before. What's going on?"

"This is an old guardian guest dorm." He walked to the elevator and pressed the button for the basement. Lissa took notice, furrowing her brow. She was as confused as ever.

"The basement? Why are we going there?"

"You'll see. Just hang on a few more minutes."

* * *

"Rose, calm down. You have to calm down. Lissa and Dimitri will be here in a few minutes. You can't be stark raving mad when they get here either," Abe pointed to the bed with his index finger, "_Sit." _He ordered.

"I want to kill that bitch. I want to yank her finger nails and toes nails off with a toothpick. I want to snatch all of her black mane out of her head, then shove the shit down her throat. Do you hear me?" Rose was livid. Her voice was ringing around them in the room. She _didn't_ need any help from the darkness that she drew in from Lissa. This was all her. She had seen what was going on with the encounter with Tasha, and she was spitting nails.

"Little Dhampir, Abe is right, you need to chill for a little while. They are going to be here in just a few minutes. Lissa don't need to see you like this. She is already upset cause of the whole _'death'_ thing. Just calm down." Adrian lazily drawled, while tapping a cigarette out of it's pack. He was in the process of lighting it, when Rose practically shouted at him.

"Honestly? Do you have to light that shit in here? It stinks!"

Adrian ignored her protest, but snuck a look at Abe to make sure he didn't offend him one bit. When he didn't see any signs of disproval, he lit it.

Rose sat down on the bed again with a heavy sigh. She closed her eyes like if she would had been meditating. She knew she had to calm down, but seeing that whore had just set her off. Not that it didn't take that much to do so, but seeing the evil skank pushed it to a higher level. She took a lot of deep breaths, trying to calm the storm that was brewing in her head. It wasn't working.

"I would _hate_ to be that woman when Rose is do-" Adrian was cut short by Abe's words.

"Shut the fuck up, Ivashkov. You're not helping matters by talking about her. Cant you see that Rose is trying to come back down to earth?" Abe chastised, making Adrian about jump out of his skin.

"I was just stating the obvious. _Geez." _He started to roll his eyes, but then he remembered who he was talking to. Instead, brought his vodka and tonic to his lips and took a big gulp. He was well on the way to '_hugging-the-toilet-ville_.'

"Put that damn thing out! It's giving me a fucking headache." Rose semi- roared at him.

Adrian rolled his eyes and ignored her. He could get away with doing so with her. _Most of the time, that is._

"I can hear them. They're almost here," Abe stated, "Ready, Kiz?"

"Yeah, I can faintly see their auras. This shit isn't as good as my stash." Adrian held up his glass, indicating the contents it withheld.

Rose nodded and stood up. Taking a deep breath, she gave a small, fake smile.

The door opened and Lissa was the first one through it. She gasp as she took a look at Rose, then fainted right in Dimitri's arms.

* * *

**Hope everyone liked it!**

**Okay, I have a little heads up for the next few chapters. I dont exactly know what one it's in, but there is about to be a _twist_ in the story.**

**Just wanting to let you guys know. I love to hear all the guess's you come up with. **

_**I just love throwing in curveballs. As if you didn't know. LMAO!**_

**~~~Carmen**


	14. Chapter 13 Lissa's Relief

**Okay guys. What's the deal? Are you just not interested in this story? I was averaging between 20 -30 reviews a chapter, and for the last one I only got 10?**

**Have I started to bore all of you? Did you lose intrest? What am I doing wrong?**

**I take a lot of my time to write these and I dont want to waste my time if is not worth it.**

**I don't want to write a story if people are just not into it. It kind of hurt not having as many reviews, but oh well.**

**I want to thank all of you who _did _take the time out to review my last chapter! I thank you with the bottom of my heart. They do not go _underappreciated!_ **

**So, THANK YOU! **

_SlinkyVamp, Twilighternproud, nicole, MaggieChauvin, sebsbadkitty, Bananabooklover7, shadowkissed586, talkygirl, WhatAmISupposeToWriteHere, Washingtonion_

**Thank you guys soooo much!**

**I love each and every one of you!**

**I forced myself to write this one.**

**There is going to be a _MAJOR_ curveball coming up! I would love to finish this, but I just don't have the motivation if you don't let me know you like it or not.**

**My goal is to have this finished before Dec. 7th. The date of the release for L.S.! Only 21 days left! YAY!**

**Either way, let me know.**

_Much love,_

_~~~Carmen_

_

* * *

_

**RPOV**

Dimitri caught Lissa before she hit the floor. His reaction to her fainting was amazingly precise. Like he knew what was going to happen before it did. Then on the other hand, who wouldn't have expected that reaction? I mean, seeing your best friend -that is suppose to be dead by all accounts- standing right there in front of you. Yeah, real cause for dropping like a fly. She definately had an excuse.

"Dimitri, lay her down on the bed," I kicked into action as soon as I saw Lissa faint. She had turned a deathly shade of white. All color in her face drained away, "Adrian, go in the bathroom and get me a damp cloth," he was still sitting in his chair drinking his poison, _"Now!"_ I barked at him.

I finally got it through to him, and he took off for a towel. Dimitri bought her over to the bed and put her down gently. I could hear Lissa softly groaning. I sat on the bed beside her, brushing her hair out of her face. She looked like a beautiful angel laying there with her pale blonde hair falling around her.

"Adrian. Where is that damn wet cloth?" I yelled. The second I finished with my inquiry, he handed it to me, "Thanks."

"I'm gonna get her a bottle of water." Dimitri said. He then went to the little fridge, reappearing seconds later with the container.

I was stroking Lissa's head, while apply the damp cloth here and there. Her eye lids started fluttering and her breathing increased.

"Rose," she mumbled, "_Rose!"_ When she repeated my name, it was a squeal of horror. Her eyes were still closed, although they had fluttered a few times. I thought that maybe she had re-gained consciousness at first, but through the bond I could tell she wasn't awake. I pressed the cool towel to her face again, "Rose. _Rose!." S_he kept repeating over and over again.

"Lissa," I started quietly. I didn't want her to be too startled when she saw me again. I knew she would be anyway, so there was not a gentle way around it, "Lissa." I said shaking her gently. This time she did open her eyes. Slowly.

She blinked a few times, then her eyes widened, "Rose?" She asked timidly, "Oh god, it's really you!"

I gave her a small smile, "Yes, Lissa. Its me."

She sat up a little at first. She looked around the room and saw all the worried faces. She cast her green eyes back on me again. I felt through the bond that she was feeling nothing but shock. She couldn't believe that I was sitting right next to her, _alive._

"_Rose!" _she screamed, then flung herself in my arms. She started sobbing great heaving sobs, "You're alive! I thought I was seeing a ghost," she was holding me so tight, that it was getting pretty hard to breathe, "Oh my god!" she pulled back a little so she could look into my eyes, "How?" her voice was so low, that I think I was the only one who had heard her.

"It's going to be okay, Liss. Everything is going to be fine," I returned the embrace, "I have to tell you something. You have to keep it to yourself though, okay? But first, we need to talk about what you did to yourself."

She nodded her head, but still continued crying. I pulled out of the hug and Dimitri handed her the bottle of water.

"Kiz, do you want us to leave you two alone for a few minutes." Abe asked. I shook my head. We all had to explain what was going on, not just me. Abe had orchestrated this whole thing. He was _not_ going to get out of that easily.

"Yes. But only for a few minutes. We all need to be here for the _'death'_ discussion." I told them. They all walked to the door, but I halted Adrian, "Adrian, could you, uh-" I trailed off, pointing to Lissa's arm. He understood what I was getting at, and came back to do his healing. Then he turned without a word, and left the room. I knew the guys weren't going to far. They were probably just outside the door.

"Liss, why on earth would you do _that_," I nodded to her arm, "again? I thought we discussed this," she started to defend herself, but I promptly cut her off; knowing what she was gong to say, "Dont. Dont tell me 'because I wasn't here.' Just dont. Okay?"

She nodded her head. She still had tears streaming down her face and her eyes were swollen from crying, "I just couldn't take anymore, Rose. I'm not like you she had to pause so she could take a breath. Hiccuping from crying, "I'm not like you, I cant take on the world like you do. You're fearless. You're my reason for sanity."

And that's how our conversation went. I did however, inform her she would most definately get her ass kicked if she tried that shit again. We had a very long talk about it.

* * *

Once we were done, I called the guys back inside so we could fill Lissa in on what happened.

Dimitri sat down beside me on the bed, while Lissa sat on the other side of me.

I looked over at her, she suddenedly remembered the real reason she was here and what happened. She narrowed her eyes at me. I knew she was pissed off and hurt, because she didn't know before hand what was going on. She was also relieved at the fact that I wasn't dead. Then she felt betrayed because she wasn't included in on the plan.

_What is going on?_ She asked through the bond.

I looked pointedly at Abe. He knew I wanted him to explain the whole thing, and he did. Everything was told to Lissa about what was going on. Even everything with Tasha. It took quite a few hours to fill her in on everything that had happen. Once we did clue her in, she understood the reasoning for not including her friends. She knew that the emotions that my friend's portrayed at the thought of losing me, was the key to keeping all of this 'hush, hush.'

She also wanted to kill Tasha. Her first thought was just to go up to her and beat the shit out of her. That was the thought in her mind. She promptly dismissed that, knowing Tasha knew how to fight. Lissa knew that Tasha taught martial arts, and she didn't even come close to having the ability to fight her and win. Nor to try and fight and even land a punch on her. Lissa had only threw one punch in her life, well one that actually hit her target. That was the one I had coached her on with Reed Lazar.

From the first moment all of the details were laid out for her, she started trying to come up with ways to deal with Christian's aunt. All of which, were dead ends. But there was one way Lissa thought she could get the upper hand with, and that was with her head. _Literally._

"Yes, Rose. I can." She argued. We had been discussing on how to deal with Tasha. Lissa wanted to use compulsion on her to make her confess to what she had done. I on the other hand, was waiting for whatever trick my dad had up his sleeve. I knew that sly old man. He could go through the right channels, -hopefully! if not the right ones, then once he found fitting for the situation- and clear my name once and for all. I believed in my old man's capabilities, and I knew he wouldn't fail me now.

After all, when I had the meeting with him in the conference room; he did suggest he would kill for me. Not that I wanted him to. I just knew he would keep me out of harms way. I also knew that Tasha would recieve the same outcome that I - _if justice was as blind as they say it was-_ had at my trial. _Execution._ If she even made it that far. She was, after all, a _Royal Moroi_. Me, being only a low-life dhampir, was treated a little unjustly. Okay, a lot. But still, I was born to kill. In the literal sense of the words.

Somehow I had the sneaky suspicion that there was someone else involved with her. I didn't know why, but there was an inner voice telling me that all was not as they seemed. I was going to ask Dimitri to call his grandmother to see if she had any more information for us. I needed some kind of guidance. I couldn't very well go to Rhonda and ask her. Ambrose knew that I wasn't dead, but I was for sure that his aunt didn't. So no, Rhonda was out of the question. I had to settle for Yeva and her crazy way of knowing certain things.

"Lissa, listen to me. You cant do that! Its immoral. Forbidden! You could get your ass in major shit for it! _You _could wind up being thrown behind those bars," I visibly shivered at the rememberance of my little ordeal, "Trust me, you don't want that!"

She gave a cunning laugh, "Yeah, like I haven't done it before, Rose. We have to clear your name. If anyone else finds out, they will_ really_ kill you next time! We don't have all the time in the world, you know." _Uh huh, like she was telling me something I didn't already know._

I shook my head exasperated, "Lissa, please. Everything is going to work out." She leaned her head against my shoulder and sighed...

"I know. I just want to help you. I always feel so helpless with out you, Rose. I cant stand the thought of losing you again. I just cant."

Dimitri laced his fingers with mine, giving me a gentle squeeze, "She will be fine, Prin- Lissa. I will make sure of that." He said determinedly.

"Lissa, don't you have to go? Wont Christian be looking for you?" Adrian slurred. He had almost drunk himself into oblivion.

She looked at her watch and sighed into my shoulder again, "Yes, but I don't want to leave Rose!" she lifted her head and shook it, "I guess I have no choice, huh?"

I grinned at her, "I have to go to my new apartment anyway. I wont be down here for much longer. As soon as it hits daylight, Dimitri and I are leaving. So it really doesn't matter. Besides, you can keep an eye on Tasha for me. Just remember not to tip her off on anything. You have to act natural."

She nodded her head and stood up, "Give me a hug before I leave. I don't know when I will see you again."

"Don't worry, Liss, I'll be watching you. I can keep a tab on you. Remember?" I told her while tapping my temple.

Adrian stood up as well, "I need something with a kick. This cheap shit just isn't cutting it with me. I hear my stash calling my name."

I shook my head at him dispprovingly, "Maybe you should cut back a little. You're about to pass out right now, Adrian. You're not going to have a liver left in a few years!"

He snorted, "Me and my liver are on bad terms as it is. I don't need 'em anymore. I'll get a transplant," he looked me in the eyes, "besides, _you_ don' have a say over this sexy body anymore." He was saying it like it meant nothing to him, but I could tell that he was still very much hurt because of me. He lifted his glass to his lips and emptied it's contents.

His words stung a little, but I brushed it off. He was right, I didn't have a say over him any longer. I made my choice. I also think that I made the right one. I was with my split-apart. The one that I was destined to be with forever. And I was thrilled to have him back in my life.

I stood up and wrapped my arms around Lissa, "You can call me," I said while hugging her, "I gave you the number to the phone that Abe got for me. Anytime you want to talk, just call. I love you."

"I love you too. I'm going to miss you." She gave a final squeeze, then released me. I could see tears brimming in her eyes. Through the bond, I could tell she wanted to be strong. I gave an internal chuckle at her.

"How do I get out of here? There were too many tunnels for me to keep track of, that leads to the elevator." She asked. "And then I have to go through that creepy basement alone." She shivered thinking about that. I didn't blame her. Since the Spokane incident, basement's and I dot not mix well.

Adrian stood up on wobbly legs, "I'll escort you, M' lady." He swept me a gallant bow, then nodded to the men. He turned back to her and gave a slight bow, then held his arm out so she could take it. With one last glance at me, she intertwined her arm with his.

"Adrian," I called out. He looked back at me with a smile on his lips, "thanks."

He widened his grin, "Anytime, little dhampir. Anytime." Then they left the room.

* * *

Six hours later Pavel drove Dimitri and I to the apartment that was bought-rented, by my father for the benefit of a hide-out, so to speak.

I froze when I saw the inside of it. It was the same one that Avery Lazar had displayed for me when she was trying to occupy me from helping Lissa. When she was trying to make her jump off the ledge of the Moroi dorm. The apartment that Dimitri and I shared, that was not too far from court. It had all of the same furnishings and the throw-blanket on the sofa, that I remember seeing.

How in the hell did that happen? Conicidence? Or like Lissa did with healing, and Adrian did with walking dreams; was her spirit specialty foretelling the future?

_Could she tell the future and show it to you?_

* * *

**As you can see, I was not all that into writing it. Sorry.**

**_Hope all of you liked this chapter._**

_~~~Carme**n**_


	15. Chapter 14 The Apartment

**Okay, guys, this chapter is going to be a lot of fluff. I have to take a break of all the tension. However, the way it ends will be a major cliff hanger. I warned you guys there was going to be a twist in this story. Actually, there will be a few of them. So just hang on for the ride!**

**Are all of you enjoying my _twisted_ little mind yet?**

**Disclaimer: I have not, nor never will, own VA or any of its characters! (What a shame on my part!)**

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen~~~**_

* * *

**My POV**

Rose was still frozen at the door. It was a shocker that the very apartment that her dad had got for her, was the same one she had seen in the vision Avery had shown her. She had thought that her mind had to playing a very cruel trick on her; when she had walked through the door.

_Surely, this could not had been the same one? Could it?_

It seemed about right though. It wasn't at court, but only a few minutes away from it. That was the same thing that the,_ 'vision Dimitri,' _had told her.

"Rose?," Pavel was trying to gain her attention. Rose couldn't speak. She was still trying to process the fact that this was real, "Rose?" he spoke a little louder, trying to break her out of her trance. She looked back at him, but he could tell that she wasn't really paying that much attention to him. It had took him five try's in order to get her attention.

She shook her head back and forth, trying desperately to clear it. Her hands were balled up, grinding them into her eyes. She just couldn't believe what she was seeing. But, then again, her best friend could raise the dead and her ex-boyfriend could walk dreams. Her soul-mate used to be an evil-undead-creature-of-the-night. So why couldn't that nut job, Avery Lazar, foretell the future. Also, there were _vampires_ walking around in the world. Something humans had no clue about. Other than the feeders of course. So yeah, the impossible and improbable, could happen to anyone.

"Huh? Did you say something, Pavel?" Rose asked, coming out of her stupor.

He looked at her confused. He didn't know what the problem could have been, "Is everything alright? Is there something wrong with the apartment? I could call Abe and inform hi-"

Rose interrupted his little speech, "I- I..no. Everything is fine. Just perfect." She was still looking around the room in amazement. Her eyes were glassy and she had a huge grin on her face. If Avery had indeed shown her the future, Rose knew everything was going to work out perfect. She felt certain about that.

Dimitri joined her at the door, "Are you sure, Roza?" He was concerned by the look that was on her beautiful face, "We could find anot-"

She looked up at him with soft, loving eyes, "Everything is fine, Comrade. Really. It is perfect. It just took me by surprise is all." She reached up and ran the back of her hand across his warm cheek. He took her hand with both of his, then brought them to his lips, kissing them. She smiled at him and he at her.

He eyed her, with suspicion evident in his eyes, "Okay then. I will go get our bags," he released her hand, giving her one more thoughtful look, "I'll be right back." Pavel and he, went back to the SUV and grabbed the four suitcases that held their belongings. The men brought them in and set them by the door.

Dimitri approached Rose from behind, and wound his arms around her waist. She leaned into him, feeling him breathe against her back. She sighed a happy sigh, and looked up at Dimitri. He leaned down and brushed his lips with hers. It caused the both of them to moan slightly. That old electric current flowed throughout both of their bodies.

Pavel walked into the living room so he could inform Rose of the in's and out's of the apartment. When he reached the couple, a wide smile spread across his features.

"Here are three stakes. One for each of you, and an extra one," he handed Dimitri the stakes, then started explaining the situation, "There's only one bedroom. We didn't know that two would be needed," he snuck a look at Dimitri. Not seeing a trace of emotion on the younger dhampirs face, but there was something telling in his eyes. "Someone can sleep in the bed and one on the sofa. It's actually pretty comfy," He knew that from experience.

He and Abe had stayed there while the trial was going on, "The kitchen and all the other rooms are fully equipped with whatever you need. There's a gym in the next building for the tenants if you want to workout. Other than that, there's not much else I can tell you. Except, _do not leave for no reason, Rose!_ Abe's orders," he looked pointedly at Dimitri as he said that statement. Dimitri nodded to him in understanding. In other words, _he wanted to make sure Dimitri didn't let her leave. _

Pavel nodded back to him. Rose was oblivious as to what the men were even talking about. Her mind was still wandering. Pavel gave one last look at Rose, then turned heading for the door, "Oh yeah," he looked over his shoulder at the couple, "There's satellite, so you don't get too bored. But if you do, I'm sure you will find a way to stay busy." He told them with a sly smirk. He turned on his heel, and in a couple of strides, was out the door. Dimitri grinned a little grin. He understood Pavel's unspoken words, and he didn't mind one bit about being alone with Rose for an indefinate amount of time. They could use the time together, so they could reconnect. Get to know each other again. Not that he needed any time to make him love Rose any more than he already did. He didn't think he could love anyone more then he did her. She was the reason for him to live. In every sense of the word. He loved her with all of his heart, as well as with all of his soul. He stood there gazing at her with loving eyes for as long as he could. He wanted to just take in her beautiful face and stunning features. Rose didn't even look as if she had realized that Pavel was gone already. She was still looking around the room that lay in front of her.

Dimitri joined Rose, she turned and looked up at him. She was nervous being there with him all alone. She didn't understand why she had butterflies in her stomach. She just did.

Dimitri was no better. They had never been in this kind of situation before. Besides when he had been a Strigoi. He shoved those memories aside, and gave Rose an adoring stare. He smiled warmly at her. Every time he saw her, his breathing would hitch and his head would get light. And that was just by the sight of her. When they would actually touch, by accident or no, his heart would start racing and his skin would tingle where ever they made contact.

He wouldn't mind spending every day of his life with this beautiful creature that stood before him. He wanted to fix her broken smile. Even if it took the rest of his life. He would do that just for her. He would compromise all of his beliefs for whatever would make her happy.

Yes, he would love her for the rest of his life. He loved all of the things that made her who she was. He would be there to catch her every time she would fall. He would pick her up and help her move forward, just as she had lifted him up in his time of need. She didn't give up on him, and he would never give up on her. Not ever again. He would never utter another hurtful word to her. After all the horrible things he had said to her, she never once gave up. She had loved him through it all. That day she confronted him in the chapel, was worse then any Strigoi memory he was living with. For he knew that was the deepest wound he had ever inflicted upon her.

After all of that, she was still in love with him, and he couldn't understand how. But that was in the past. Something greater then the both of them, had led them back together. He was not going to ever let her go again.. He would be there to lend her a hand with what ever life threw at her. She was his. He was hers. Simple as that. There was no looking back for Dimitri. It was time for him to get over his grievances and move forward with his life. With his love. He was ready to love Rose with everything he had in him. He was deeply, passionately in love with Rosemarie Hathaway.

_His Roza._

Just the thought of her, brought a shit-eating grin to his face. He hadn't realized that Rose was watching him. He also didn't care. It was time for him to let down all the walls that he had ever built up. It was time to live and love. It was time he did those things with his true love. The one he would die in a heart-beat for. Rose.

His love was greater than the guilt he had in his heart of being Strigoi. It was time to forget all of the pain. Release all of the regret; for him doing all those horrid things to so many people. Yes, even to Rose. Her love for him, as well as his for her, washed away all his guilt. She unknowingly helped in so many ways. He had won the battle that had been waging in his head for so many months. She helped him heal without her even knowing it. From the first time he laid eyes on her, she changed him forever. A changed man by a outstanding woman.

"What?" Rose asked. Dimitri had just been standing there staring at her with a wide grin on his face. Rose snapped him out of his haze.

"Nothing," Dimitri was a little embarrassed by being busted, but being with Rose, make him feel like he was at home. Anywhere they were at together, would always be his home. He tried changing the subject.

"Do you want me to put your luggage in the bedroom for you?"

Rose looked at him and shook her head, "I can manage." She grabbed her suitcases that were still by the door, and hauled them into the room. She plopped them down on the bed, then she followed suit; stretching out across the bed, taking in the comfort of the mattress. It had been so long since she had actually had a restful nights sleep.

She lay there thinking about the day she had had. It had been a very long one and all she wanted to do, was to curl up into a ball and sleep for a few days. She had just closed her eyes when Dimitri knocked on the open door.

"Hey," she greeted. Her face flushed and her insides trembled slightly. She knew Dimitri wouldn't do anything that she did want to do. That was just the thing. She was a little nervous to have him there alone in an apartment. It felt so foreign to her. All the months that they had had a relationship, it was in a discreet manner. She knew that there were inhibitions that prevented them to go too far. But right now, there was nothing standing in the way for them to do whatever that they had wanted. That in and of it's self, was what was making her nervous. She loved him with all of her heart and soul, and he, her. They both knew how each of them felt about the other. It calmed each of them slightly, just knowiing how much they were in love, and what they would do to keep the other safe.

He smiled at her nervously, "I'm going to go take a shower. Do you need anything before I do?" he asked

She fronted a little smile for him, "No. I'm fine. Go ahead and shower so that I can do the same when you are done." He nodded his head, then headed for the shower.

Rose let out a loud sigh, then covered her face with a pillow. She lay there, about to fall asleep. Then she quickly remembered that she needed to call Lissa and let her know that she was doing fine.

She picked up the phone and dialed the number that she knew by heart. It rang a few times before Lissa picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Liss. It's me." She told her

"Rose? Is something wrong?" She asked. Her words were laced with worry. Lissa had been trying to come up with way to expose Tasha for who she was, and what she had done. She knew Rose, Abe, and Dimitri were doing all they could to come up with a plan. Lissa just wanted to find the solution, so her best friend could walk freely without restriant.

"No everything is fine. I just wanted to call and let you know I'm alright and not to worry too much." Rose could feel through the bond that Lissa was almost frantic to find away to clear her of the crime that she was suppose to be executed for. She also knew what kind of expreme measures that Lissa was willing use. She didn't like it one bit, either.

"Good," she said sounding relieved.

"I just wanted to let you know that I made It. How did dinner go with Tasha?" She wanted to know everything. She couldn't slip into her head for it. She had been way too busy herself, at the time of their dinner plans. So now she had to get all of the information from Lissa over the phone. But through the bond, Lissa replayed a little of the uneasy dinner that Lissa had to endure. She thought that her friend had done an outstanding job at hiding her emotions._ For a Moroi,_ that is. They didn't have the same things dhampirs did. They didn't grow up with any kind of mantra.

She groaned loudly, "It went alright, considering that I wanted nothing more than kill the scheming bitch!"

"Okay, just checking," Rose said, "how were your acting skills? Are they up to par? Did she suspect anything?"

Lissa softly laughed, "As far as I can tell, I did an awesome job," Rose yawned into the phone, "Get some rest, Rose. I'll talk to you later."

She heard the shower cut off , "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

Lissa nodded, "Night, Rose." The girls said their goodbyes and hung up the phone.

* * *

Dimitri walked out of the bathroom just as Rose hung the phone up. He was in a pair of pajama pants and a white T. His hair was still wet, clinging to his face while the rest of it hung loose around his chin. They locked eyes for a second, then Rose quickly turned away. She had this ever growing passion for him, but she didn't want to come off as a slut. So she pretended like she was still unpacking. Then she gathered some clothes and took a shower herself.

When she got out, she put on some loose fitting cotton shorts and a spaghetti strap night shirt. As soon as she walked out of the bathroom, the aroma of food cooking hit her. She hadn't realized till that moment just how hungry she was. She walked into the kitchen with a casual air to her. She was trying very hard to calm the butterflies that had staked a permanent home in her stomach.

"Hey, I didn't know you could cook," she flashed him a wicked grin, trying to put on a calm façade, "What is it?" She asked him curiously. The smell of it was making her mouth water.

He looked up at her, flashing a dazzling smile of his own. Those smiles he gave her, were breathtaking.

"The rough translation of it, would be along the lines of a potato stew. Hungry?" he asked, knowing full well that she was, "It's done. Go sit down, Roza. I will make you a plate."

Rose did as he said, and took a seat at the table. Dimitri was right behind her a minute later with the food in hand. They ate and chatted a bit. Both of them nervous at the thought of being alone together. Neither of them had ever been in this type of situation before. They knew that they loved each other, and they knew that the other loved them. Both, were trying to keep their hormones in check.

When dinner was over with, they said their goodnights, and went to bed. Dimitri sleeping on the couch, while Rose slept in the huge bed.

Rose lay there thinking of the day that she had had. She was worried about Lissa. Along with worrying about Christian, and how he would take it once he found out what his aunt had done. Setting Rose up and letting her take the fall for something she didn't do and was convicted of. She kept mulling over the note that Tatiana had wrote to her. She wanted to find the child that was mentioned. Rose knew that that child was the key to her freedom and a change in the Moroi world. She also had a feeling that Tasha wasn't the only scoundrel to come up with the plan to murder Tatiana. She knew she had to find all of the culprits involved. With all of those things floating around in her head, it made it impossible for the sandman to find her.

She lay there tossing and turning unable to fall asleep -for hours. She thought she would fall into a slumber with ease. That wasn't the case, she soon realized. She had laid there looking up at the ceiling, begging for sleep. It didn't come. She soon realized that she missed the comfort of Dimitri's arms. She missed the smell of him. The brushing of skin on skin. The sound of his heartbeat in her ear. She missed him, _period._ So she did what she thought was right. She went to him, asking if he would sleep in the bed with her.

She tiptoed into the living room, and leaned over Dimitri. He was softly snoring. She smiled to herself as she took in his gorgeous features. Yes, she thought, she had gone without him for way too long. She placed a hand on his bare shoulder, gently shaking it.

"Dimitri," she whispered, "Dimitri, wake up."

His eyes shot open at the feel of her skin on his. He quickly went into guardian mode, "Roza? What's wrong? Is someone here? Is the princess alright?" He started firing questions off at her rapidly. Rose could see in the dim lighting, that there was a little panic in his eyes.

"No," she shook her head, "everything's fine. I was just wondering if you could sleep in the bed with me? Please?"

Understanding flashed across his face. He threw back his blanket, revealing that he was only in his boxers. Just the sight of him, sent her sense's into a frenzy. Her breathing hitched, and she met his eyes again. From the look of him, he was going through the same reaction.

"Yes, love. I will." He got up and followed her back into the room. They climbed into the bed, and Rose nestled into the comfort of his strong arms.

"Goodnight, Comrade." She smiled into his chest.

"Goodnight, Roza." Dimitri's heart was racing at the feel of her head on his chest. He leaned forward, planting a kiss on her head.

Rose couldn't have been sleeping for long, when she felt immense panic through the bond.

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**Well, guys how did you like it? Too mushy?**

**I want to thank you for your reviews, and/or, comments. I knew you guys loved me! lol**

_**~~~Carmen**_


	16. Chapter 15 Christian Overheard

**Okay guys, here you are. I am desperately trying to finish this before Dec 7th.**

**I have been having a lot of people wanting me to put a *lemon* in here.**

**I actually wanted to leave at least one of my stories *lemon* free. But, that is up to you. I always give a fair warning to my readers before they start reading a chapter that contains one. So if they don't want to read it, they don't have to. (I know deliouse. I know you want one. You think I'm a legend. Lol.) But as for the rest of you, let me know.**

**Now, on to the story. Enjoy!**

**Much love,**

**_~~~Carmen_**

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**_RPOV_**

The second I jolted straight up in bed, Dimitri's eyes flew open. It wasn't because I had made any noise. It was from lack there-of, breaking contact of my head, being removed from his chest.

The minute I had fell fast asleep, Adrian had joined me in my dreams. We had discussed our relationship a little further, and talked about all the other things that were going on in each of our lives. We had decided that we were comfortable just being friends. We also had agreed that that was all we should have been in the first place. Even though he loved me deeply, he knew where my heart would always lay. That it would always remain in Dimitri's possession.

I did love Adrian. It wasn't in the air, over the fence, outta the ball park, hit you in the head, kind of love; like I would always feel with Dimitri. But I did love him all the same. Love for a friend. We would always remain close friends and confidants, but we would not have an intimate relationship anymore. I knew Adrian would always be there for me if I needed him. He knew that I would return the same for him. Anytime, day or night. I also knew he needed to move on with his life. Maybe go back to college or something. I had told him that very same thing too.

We couldn't keep the dream connection for very long however, seeing as he was almost falling down drunk. He didn't have a very stable control over his magic in a drunken state. It was a wonder we even had it for as long as we did. Although, we did get the necessities out in the open. That was something that had to be done with just him and I, present. The talk wasn't in the least bit uncomfortable like I thought it might be. It was actually quite nice. We had just been sitting on a beach, watching as the sun set over the vast ocean in front of us; listening to the waves as they crashed against the huge rocks we were sitting on. The sun and wind kissing my face, made me feel so good. So_ free_.

It felt good just talking to him as a friend. He had agreed to give -_Belikov, _as he put it- a try. He wanted me happy. Really, truly happy. He said that I deserved that after all that I had been through. He also said that he thinks Dimitri is best suited for the task. He felt certain that Dimitri loved me just as much as I loved him; and we would have a happy life together. As much as I knew it hurt Adrian to admit that, I knew he was right. _For once, Adrian and I had agreed on something._

He made me take a step back and look at my life in the big picture. For only being 18, I had been through a whole life's worth of trauma, loss, and heartache. Hell, I had lived two or three lifetimes of that with everything I had been through in the last three years. I believed whole-heartily, that I did deserve to get a little reprieve from the drama in my life. To have the time to just live and love. In my opinion, being with Dimitri was just the happiness that I wanted. That I _needed._ He made me feel alive, vibrant, content, electric, confident, but most of all, loved. With the emotions he had displayed from the time that I had gotten arrested, to the time we had just climbed into bed, he showed every emotion that he had for me -_openly_.

He showed all of his emotions in front of my friends, my parents, and yes, even me. That was a big step in the progress department for him. Somthing that shocked the shit out of me. I didnt know exactly what changed in Dimitri when I was arrested; but it was like he had snapped on the inside. Or a dam bursting forth spilling its contents into the sea. Like some kind of emotional bridge had been built linking him to his inner thoughts. I think he kinda reflected on our lives and love. I also think he had had enough of not displaying his love for me. That he wanted me to know just how much I meant to him. Somthing about all of that, touched my heart and warmed my soul. I didn't think I could love him anymore than I already did. How wrong I was. With every touch, every gaze, every word, just made me fall deeper and deeper in love with him.

Not once did he try to convey a different persona. It felt a little weird for him show all of his love and care for me without trying to hide or mask anything from my view. He had after all, hidden everything he had ever felt for me in the past. My best guess of his change of heart for emotion showing, would be; he knew just how close to losing me, he really came. I guess with that realization, woke him up to what he could really miss out on. It probably scared him just as bad as it had scared me. To think you would live without the one who carried your heart, and other half of your soul, is more than bone shattering. I knew that hurt first hand when Dimitri was bitten by Nathan in the caves. That had crushed me. I would never in my life, go another day without telling the ones that I love, just how much I care about them and how much they really mean to me. Going through all of which I had gone through, gave me a clearer outlook on life. After all of my hurts and downfalls, I was a new person -so to speak.

But if that's what it took to get it through his stubborn head, then I would go through all that I had, ten fold. His love was worth everything I had endured in my life -and then some. He knew that my father, a few guardians, Ambrose, and the judge -Paula- had saved my ass from dying. From essentially being murdered.

_Murdered. _That one word can mean so many things. But in my case, it would mean killing someone for a crime that they didn't do. An innocent. Not that I'm all that innocent of things. But for that crime, no way in hell could I have done something like that. I didn't understand how Tasha could've either. For the love of Christ, Tatiana was the Moroi queen! Leader and ruler of our world. I wanted so badly to beat some sense into that damn bitch. I knew I couldn't do it right now, but I wasn't going to hole up in an apartment for long. She would most certainly get a little taste of Rose Hathaway's wrath.

The second Dimitri sprang up in the bed, his face displayed a vast portrait of concern, "Rose? Rose, are you alright?" His voice was a little sleepy, but still laced with worry for me.

I held my hand up to him, silently begging him to let me concentrate. He knew what I was doing, and he let me be. He did although, get out of bed and get fully dressed. Stake and all. He sheathed his stake to his left side, right below his ribs. By the time he had finished dressing, his face was as stoic as ever. Even his body language spoke '_Guardian Mode.'_

I closed my eyes and slipped into Lissa's head to see what the hell was going on.

"_Christian, how many time do I have to tell you? I did not say Rose! God! Why don't you believe me?" _Lissa was almost in tears. I didn't know what exactly was going on, but I had to find out what the hell she was talking about. Christian looked very pissed off. He was pacing back and forth in front of Lissa, she was sitting in a chair in her room. She was trembling on the inside. She was scared that it would get out that I wasn't really dead. She was trying to convince Christian he had be misstaken about what she had said. He wasn't buying her protest, though.

"_Don't lie to me, Princess,"_ Lissa flinched at his tone. And the fact that he was being sarcastic by using her title against her. She was hurt, but she knew at that moment, was no time for her feelings. She knew she must have to convince him or things could get really ugly, really fast.

"_I heard you with my own two ears. I was no more than ten feet behind you when you was on the phone. I heard the whole conversation! Now stop lying to me, damn it. If Rose is still alive, which by the way I think she is, then come clean with me,_" he slapped his forehead with his palm, in a 'duh' manner, _"Oh my god. Why didn't I notice the change in you before now? The day of her memorial service, you were mad at the world. But all day today, you have acted like you don't have a care in the world. That could only mean one thing. Rose. Is. Alive!"_

Lissa did it before she even thought better of it, _"Shhhh! Don't announce it to the world, Christian!"_ Her green eyes went wide with shock. She just realized what she had said. She had been looking at Christian when she said it, and his eyes were huge. He was in disbelief that he was actually right. _FOR ONCE!_

"Oh dear lord." I muttered aloud. Dimitri was at my side, waiting patiently for me to fill him in. It was taking a lot of effort on his behalf to remain that way. I was waiting for him to grab me by my shoulders and shake the answer right out of me. I pulled out of Lissa's head so I could tell him what was going on. I didn't think Christian would say anything to anyone. Then it occurred to me. Tasha was his aunt. The only family he had left. He would not go against her for me. He hated me. Even though we had made some kind of peace amongst our selves since Spokane. But I didn't think it would trump any blood relative of his. She was all he had left in this world. Friend or no, I didn't believe he would stoop low enough for me, to betray his family.

"What?" Dimitri kind of sounded like a madman when he finally spoke, "What is going on, Roza?" I patted the spot beside me on the bed, gesturing for him to sit. I had a feeling he was going to need to, in order for me to give him the information I was about to deliver, "What is it, love?"

I took a deep breath, and delved in on the Intel I had got from Lissa's head, "Christian knows, Dimitri. He knows and he's Tasha's nephew. I think we have a problem." I leaned against his shoulder, resting my head on the side of it. I couldn't sit high enough to reach the top of it. Dimitri wrapped me up in his strong arms, and pulled me onto his lap. I leaned into his chest, giving a loud sigh.

"What do we do now? I don't think Abe can work this into any scheme he had planned. He is going to be so pissed at me. Why does this shit happen to me? It seems like I get crushed everyday. Why does every moment of my life have to be so hard?" I knew it sounded like I was having my very own pity party, but I didn't care. My life is never drama free. Would it kill everyone to just let me have one day with out bullshit?

Dimitri gave a sigh of his own, then nestled his face into my hair, taking big gulps of air. I think that was relaxing to him for some reason. Just as his aftershave affected me. Soothing and calming.

At last, he spoke, "What I don't get, is how he found out. Its not like he seen you, or anything like that. So how did he know?"

I took another deep breath, and pulled back enough so I could look him in the eye, "He overheard Lissa and I, talking. When you were in the shower, I called her. I wanted her not to worry and to tell her I was safe." I took a deep breath and laid my head back against his chest. I let it out in a loud _whoosh,_ sound. I closed my eyes, trying to formulate a plan before I called Abe. He was going to be so damn pissed. _Great. Just fucking fine and dandy. I have to deal with my old man. Damn it._

A thought occurred to me. Well, more like a scheming plan. I pulled away from Dimitri's chest and looked up at him. Giving him a smile that was a little overdone. He narrowed his eyes at me, immediately suspicious.

"What? Have you come up with anything- useful?" he asked.

I nodded my head, "Yeah, I think I did. For me, anyway," I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. He deepened the kiss, moaning into my mouth. He may had been suspicious of me, but he didn't back down from a passion filled kiss with me. Our tongues did the tango, battling for dominance. I let his win. You know. In order to soften him up a little before I delivered the heavy blow of my next request.

Through the bond, I could hear Lissa calling out to me. She wanted me to call her so she could tell me what was going on. _Like I could've ignored her emotions when Christian and her were arguing. Yeah, right._ her panic was just too much infused.

Once we had to take a break for some air, I hurried forth with my request, "Dimitri," I said hesitantly. He look down and me, giving me a grin. Then he laughed.

"I knew it. You want something. Just spit it out, Roza. Don't tiptoe through it," he gave another soft chuckle, "Just tell me." he knew me so well. I gave him a smile then launched into my begging.

"Could you call? Please? Abe is going to be so pissed. I don't want to tell him off, and I know that is exactly what I would do. You always say that you have more self-control then I do, prove it. Would you call him and tell him what's going on for me?"

His smile widened, "You aren't scared to throw yourself into a nest of Strigoi, but the prospect of having to call you dad, terrifies you?" he shook his head, then started laughing hysterically.

I swatted him on the shoulder with an open palm. That action hurt me more then it did him. I should've used my fist.

"Shut up, Belikov. Don't laugh at me!" I feigned hurt. I crossed my arms over my chest, and applied a sulking attitude into backing my stance. He arched an eyebrow at me, amusement swimming in his chocolate brown orbs. My sulkiness only made him laugh harder. He had tears rolling down his face from his hysterics.

"What the hell so goddamn funny? Please, please do it for me?" I pleaded.

When he could finally stop laughing and could catch his breath, he answered me, "No, Roza. I'm not telling Abe that. Do you think I'm that stupid. I don't want to get yelled at - or worse, get a hit executed by him to have me killed. I love you, but I'm not falling for your succubus ways." He kept shaking his head in amusement. I wanted to smack him. _Hard. _But I knew that would leave me with more pain in my hand, "He is after all, _your_ father. So you tell him." He tried to lean back down to kiss me on the lips, but I quickly turned my head, so his kiss landed on my ear. That was a big mistake on my part. I loved it when he kissed and nipped at my ear. That was one of the points to get me stimulated. Aroused. Whatever. He knew it too, and planted a few more on it.

He laughed even harder at me, then started in on my ear again, "That's not fair. You're cheating!"

A deep rumbling erupted from his chest, "I know, "He murmured against it, "That's why I'm still doing it." his voice was turning husky.

I pushed him back with both of my hands, and he fell across the bed, holding his side like it might hurt a little.

"Fine," I huffed, "I'll do it myself. Your ass is sleeping on the sofa from now on!" I threatened.

"You were," he laughed, "the one that came to me," laughing. He could hardly talk because of the laughter, "begging for me to sleep in the bed with you, dear." His laughter was echoing around the room. It sounded so sweet to my ears. My own personal melody. But, he was right. I did. He also knew my threats meant nothing. He knew he would be sleeping with me for the rest of our lives. And that just wasn't fair.

I got off of his lap, while he was still stretched out across the bed. I went over to the nightstand, picked up the phone, and started dialing my dad.

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**_So? Whadda think?_**

**Has anyone beside me, ordered their shirt from Arcane Vault? The_Belikov/Ivashkov _ones. I will have all of them when I get those in!**

**As soon as they had started selling the Zvezda, Promise, and Molinja ones, I bought them!**

**_~Carmen_**


	17. Chapter 16 Company

**This chapter is pretty intense. I hope all of you like it, and I hope I did it justice!**

**Guys, you are slacking in the reviews department again! What happened?**

**Oh yeah, I am doing a *lemon* for you in a couple of chapters! The votes are tallied, and the *lemon* wins!**

**This chapter shows a little side to everyone.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own VA, nor it characters! *****sticks tongue out* ****Now I cant get sued!**

**OMG 18 days till LS! I can't wait! So just a heads up. On the 7th of next month, dont even expect me to be on here. I'll be too busy reading! I'll probably read it more than once to! I am sooooooo excited!**

**Okay, on with the reading!**

**Enjoy!**

**Mu_ch lurve,_**

_**~~~Carmen~~~**_

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**My POV**

Christian and Lissa had been arguing for hours about the conversation with Rose. Christian had walked into her room the second Lissa had answered her phone. He had overheard everything that Lissa had said. He also knew who she was talking to. It had shocked him when he heard her say Rose's name. He had started piecing together the past few days. Lissa had been sobbing for days prior to Dimitri coming to her room asking for her to go with him.

Christian thought about how happy she had been the last few hours after the events with Dimitri. Her over all attitude had changed. Christian had blew it off -until now. After hearing her say Rose's name, the pieces started clicking together. He had also noticed the looks and actions that she had gave Tasha at dinner. He knew something was going on, and now he knew exactly what that something was. Rose.

He also knew that Dimitri and Abe were trying to come up with alternatives to saving her life. Now he knew that they had succeeded, for which he was glad. His friend had not perished, much to his relief. He knew Rose didn't commit what she had been accused of.

He was bound to get to the bottom of things. One way or another. He knew he could crack Lissa.

As soon as Lissa had hung up, he started in on questioning her about the conversation. Lissa had adamantly denied that it was Rose on the other end of the phone line. But, he didn't buy it. Christian was not a stupid person. It kind of hurt him that Lissa would not tell him about it. He felt like she didn't trust him, along with a few other things.

One being, that she was hiding things from him -again.

They were still in Lissa's room discussing everything that was going on. Rose had called her and told her she had got in touch with Abe. There was no need not to let in Christian on what was going on, yet. Even though it was his aunt that was the center of attention.

Lissa didn't inform him of Tasha's roll in the drama. But she did finally tell him that Rose wasn't dead, and they were looking for the real killer. So, they were going to meet Rose and Dimitri at the apartment. They were all going to take care of telling him together.

Right before they were about to leave, Tasha had knocked on the door, wanting to know if they wanted to have breakfast with her. Lissa was worried that Tasha had overheard Christian's ranting. He had been talking very loud, and Lissa kept asking him to bring the volume of his voice down so no one would overhear. They had rejected her breakfast offer, and she left right away. She had felt the tension in the air, and didn't act like she wanted to disturb them any longer. After she shut the door, Lissa went back explaining about Rose's _'fake death' _to him.

So now, they were going see Rose and Dimitri for further explanation. Only now, they didn't knew that they had more company going along with them than they thought.

* * *

They had just arrived at Rose's _'hideout,_' and were knocking on the door. Dimitri answered it with stake in hand. He was in guardian mode full swing. When Dimitri saw who was at the door, he relaxed. He gave Lissa a warm smile and nodded to Christian. Christian extended his hand to shake Dimitri's hand. After the greeting, Dimitri ushered them inside the apartment.

As soon as Lissa got inside, she rushed in so she could pull Rose into a bear hug.

Two other guardians had escorted them there, for safety reasons. They didn't enter, but instead were sitting outside in a little garden area that had a shade tree. They had took up residence in some outdoor furniture under the big oak tree. They were able to watch the apartment from there, and make sure nothing could get in nor out, without them seeing. They were trying to just blend in, and acted like they were just sitting there chatting with one another. But if anyone knew what they really were, only then would they know the real reason they were there.

Tasha had gotten suspicious of Lissa's attitude toward her. She picked up on a vibe she had never received from Lissa before. Then when she went to invite her nephew and her to breakfast, they were arguing about something. She heard Rose's name through the door. She had to find out what was going on. So, she staked them out, and then followed them when they left court. She had parked in front of the apartment complex. She couldn't figure out why they came here. But when the door was answered, she saw why.

_What is Dimitri doing here? Tasha thought to herself, He was suppose to be on an assignment away from court. That's what he told everyone! She had to get to the bottom of things. Then another thing hit her, He had been rude to her the last time that she had seen him too. He was acting kind of weird. She had been flirting with him, and he just totally pushed her aside. Could they know what she had done? Nah, no one knew other than her contact._

She came up with a plan...

_She was going to wait till the kids left, and she was determined to confront him once they were gone. So, she parked a few rows away from their vehicle, and hid behind some sunglasses. She was going to try and seduce him, hopefully resulting in a pregnancy. She knew he wouldn't abandon her if she was carrying his child. She smiled at that thought. That was the only logical way that she knew of to rope him in, tying him to her. Forever._

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"Rose," Lissa squealed, keeping a vice grip on her best friend, "I cant wait till all of this is over with. I miss you so much." Lissa groaned.

Rose smiled into her friends shoulder, "Me neither, Liss. I hate not being able to walk around freely."The girls hugged for a few more seconds before letting go of one another.

As soon as the girls pulled out of a hug, Christian did the same as Lissa had. Rose was beyond flabbergasted when Christian embraced her in his arms. But she hugged him back. She too, had missed his snarky ways. They had become greater friends than she had realized. Although, Rose still had her doubts that Christian would ever betray his blood relative for her. She had guessed that this would be a very big test on how loyal a friendship would be.

"It's good to see you Rosie Posie. I have missed you as well."

Rose pulled back a little and punched him in the arm, "You too, Lava Boy," he smiled at her and she, at him, "Don't start crying on me now. Or else I'm going to have to go buy you some big girl panties." Everyone laughed at the joke she had made. Everything was back to normal, once again. Although, it wouldn't stay that way for long.

Once all the hugging stopped, Rose gestured for them to all sit down. Lissa and Christian sat on the sofa, while Rose and Dimitri sat opposite them in a reclining chair. Dimitri had laced his fingers around Roses waist, pulling her onto his lap. There wasn't much furniture in the apartment, so it was either sit on his lap, or sit on the floor. She opted for the former. Not that it was a big sacrifice to begin with. Seeing as she never wanted to lose the touch of his skin on hers.

Dimitri felt the same about Rose. The previous night had felt like heaven to him. He was so glad Rose had come to him wanting him to sleep with her. He had laid awake in the bed with her, just listening to her breathe. The feel of her breath on his bare chest, was about to drive him wild. With Rose sleeping on his chest, it just felt like home to him. Rose would always feel like home to him. Something he had thought would never happen to him again.

He loved her more than life itself. He lay there taking in her scent. He had buried his face into her hair, just enjoying that moment. He never wanted to leave his Roza again. He wanted to hold her in his arms forever. She brought solace and peace within his heart and head. She did more for him than any chapel ever could.

He had her back safe in his arms, right where she belonged. He would listen to her pain. Her sorrow. He would do anything to help heal his beloved. He lay there till he drifted off, gazing at her. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid his eyes on. But then again, he was bias. She was _'The One,_' for him.

He had wanted to make love to her again, but would never push it on her. He would wait till she was ready to go that far with him again. When she was, he would do it properly. Satisfying her to the fullest extent he could. He would be slow and gentle with her. Knowing that it would be only the second -or so he hoped- time she had been with a man. Even if it wasn't, it didn't matter to him. He would be a gentleman about it. Dimitri just wanted to take the time and worship her body like the goddess she was to him. The simple fact of it was...

_He just wanted to make her happy again._

The air in the apartment had turned kind of stale. Everyone there knew what was about to happen, excluding Christian. But he was about to find out soon enough. Everyone in the room was nervous about telling him the truth. Something that was inevitable. They knew he was going to get mad. Be hurt. He would be in denial.

The air seemed thick and uneasy. Like the calm before the storm that was brewing. All of their hearts were pumping double time.

"What?" Christian ask, "what aren't you telling me?"

Rose had turned to Dimitri, silently asking him to start the conversation. As always, he could read her like an open book. Just as she could him. He took a deep breath, and all eyes fell on him. Rose was holding her breath for the reaction she knew was to come. She felt sorry for Christian. He was just an innocent bystander. She knew he was going to be crushed once he found out.

"I don't know how much the princess has told you, but we have a sibling of hers that we have to find," Christian just nodded his head like he already knew that part, "We are also trying to flush out the," Dimitri paused right there for a moment. Rose turned around so she could look into his eyes. She saw a lot of regret flashing through them. She knew it was killing him to say the next words that were about to come out of his mouth. Yet, she also knew it had to be done. Rose grabbed his hand with hers, and Lissa did the same with Christian. She knew what was coming, and she wanted to lend him strength. Just like Rose was doing to Dimitri, "we want to flush out the real murderer."

Christian got excited about that prospect. He looked like he was eager to help. His excitement was going to be short lived, though.

_How little he knew about what was really going on,_ Rose thought, _His life is going to be changed from this moment on. She actually felt really bad about all of this. She knew how much Christian looked up to Tasha, and how much he truly loved her like a mother. She felt sorrow over the pain that was about to be inflicted on him. But there was nothing she could do about it. Tasha had brought it upon herself. He was just caught in the cross-hairs. Casualty of friendly fire, from both sides._

Rose took the lead. Giving Dimitri a reprieve from having to deal the heavy blow. This was after all, about her. She had been the one who was set up for the murder. In a way, she had respected Tasha for taking on the responsibility for raising Christian. Now, all of that had vanished, and pure hatred had replaced it. Along with contempt.

"Christian," she started hesitantly, looking between him and Lissa, "we think we know who actually done it. And we think she didn't act alone in it." She gave a worried glance to Lissa.

________

He has the right to know, Rose. Please tell him for me. I cant do it. Just like I couldn't compel him to forget the conversation he overheard between us. I love him too much to hurt or betray him like that again. Please? Lissa sent through the bond.

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**There you have it!**

**Freakin' FF deleted my first copy! The damn thing when off line and wouldnt save it!**

**Boy, I was pissed! I almost chucked my laptop!**

**Anywoo, I have most of the next chapter wrote!**

**I'm outy!**

**~Carmen**


	18. Chapter 17 Showdown

**Here ya go, my friends! I really hope you're enjoying my creative, or lack there of, mind!**

**This was actually fun to write!**

**The countdown still continues! 16 days left! YAY! I can't frickin wait!**

**Damn, this has been a long six months!**

**Anyhoo, get to reading. Dont forget to leave me your thoughts!**

**Much love,**

_**~~~Carmen~~~**_

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Rose took the lead. Giving Dimitri a reprieve from having to deal the heavy blow.

"Christian," she started hesitantly, looking between him and Lissa, "we think we know who actually done it. And we think she didn't act alone in it." She gave a worried glance to Lissa.

_He has the right to know, Rose. Please tell him for me. I cant do it. Just like I couldn't compel him to forget the conversation he overheard between us. I love him too much to hurt or betray him like that again. Please? _Lissa sent through the bond.

* * *

Rose took a shallow breath, and rushed out the next part of her speech before she chickened out.

"Christian, we think your aunt played a role in it_." _Rose gushed out.

It took Christian a few moments before everything sunk in. Rose, as well as Dimitri and Lissa, all held their breath. They knew the sight of the blow-up was going to be massive. This was the designated strike zone and the bomb had just been dropped, hitting the target in the center.

After that statement registered in Christian's head, he leapt to his feet, face full of anger. He was looking back and forth at each one of them like they had all just adopted a new head on each of their shoulders. Finally his eyes rested on Rose. She didnt cower under his stare, instead, her eyes were just as hard as his were.

She knew this was a live or die situation, _literally. _Her life was hanging on the line.

"_What? No, she would never do something like that! __How can you even think that, Rose?"_ He screamed, his voice echoing around the little living room of the apartment, _"She is a friend of your's. All of you," _he swept his hand out gesturing the ones in the room, _"She loves all of you like family. She is my family! She would never do that! She isn't like that!" _He insisted. Lissa had got to her feet, trying to calm him down. He was outraged that any one of them could think that of his family.

His aunt.

The one who had took the mother roll to him. The one who raised him like her own son. The only family he had left. Christian wouldn't let Lissa touch him. Every time she tried, he would jerk out of her reach, pulling away from her. He started pacing the floor, head down, muttering to himself.

"Christian," Dimitri said, "just hear us out. Then you can make your own assumptions."

He shook his head vigorously, running his hands through it a few times. His piercing blue eyes, boring a hole in the floor as he stamped back and forth.

"No, _I wont hear you out_. I've got to go. I don't want to see any of you any time soon." He walked out the door, slamming it hard behind him.

"Christian Plea-" Rose's plea was cut short, when the door shut. She sighed loudly.

_What had they done?_

Once he was outside, he took a deep breath, motioning the guards that he was ready to go. They immediately jumped to their feet and scurried behind Christian.

* * *

"Liss, I'm so sorry. Maybe we shouldn't have told him," Rose got to her feet, giving Lissa a hug goodbye, "Do you think he is going to tell Tasha about this?" Now it was Rose's turn to pace the floor. Just the thought of the possible outcome, sent a cold shiver down her spine.

_What had they just done?_

"_Oh my god! I'm screwed! I'm going to be locked back up in a cell -or worse. I'm really going to be executed this time! Fuck!" _She was getting slightly hysterical, flailing her arms in the air around her.

Dimitri jumped to his feet, "No hell you wont. It will be over my dead fucking body! No one, and I do mean _no one,_ is going to lay another hand on you as long as I'm alive!" Dimitri grabbed Rose by the wrist, pulling her into his arms.

That calmed her down a little, but her insides were still shaking a little. He bent down and brushed his lips to hers, he pulled back and met her eyes.

"I swear to you. I will not let anything happen to you _ever _again," he whispered. But that whisper, somehow carried more weight to it, than any ranting could have done. There was something threatening in his voice, and Rose couldn't contain the goosebumps that arose on her skin, "Do you hear me? We will flee the country if we have to. We can go back to Russia if you would want. I'm sure my mother would be more than happy to take us in," he leaned down, resting his forehead to hers, "I mean it. Where ever you are, is where I'll be. You are too ingrained in my soul, for me not to have you by my side. _Always. _I love you, Rosemarie Hathaway. Now and forever."

She looked up to meet his eyes again. She saw a fierce passion burning in them. He really did mean what he had said. He also had the confidence radiating through his brown orbs, into backing his words. Her own eyes had watered at the thought of him going on the lamb for her. It made her heart swell to twice its size. Nevermind the fact of how romantic it sounded. He loved her. He wanted to be with her forever.

"I'll take care of him. Don't worry, I wont let him tell anyone," Lissa nodded to the door in which Christian had just exited through, "I promise. If I have to, I will compel him to forget all of this, Rose," there was something in Lissa that Rose didn't like. She knew that her best friend meant every word that she was uttering. But, there was also some darkness in Lissa that Rose didnt want there, at all, "I wont let anything happen to you again. That, you can bet on." Lissa had a strong resolve into wanting to help Rose out.

_She owed her that much_, and she knew it.

Lissa was just as determined to keep Rose safe, as she knew Dimitri was. Even at the expense of her losing Christian. If she had to chose one of them, then she would always choose Rose. Rose was the only family she had left in this world. She would protect her at all cost. Yet, she was in love with Christian. She wanted to marry him and have his children. Though, if it came down to it, she could let him go, just for Rose.

Lissa left and met Christian in the car. The dhampirs that had escorted them to the apartment, didn't know who they were going to see. So they didn't know that Rose was still alive. That's why Lissa wanted them to wait outside for her meeting with Rose. They knew that they had to keep Rose a secret for now.

Christian was raging mad. He was staring out the window in the back seat of the SUV, waiting for Lissa to join him, so they could go back to court.

_And that's when he saw her._

Tasha was in a car a few rows over. She was hunched over in the driver seat. She was trying to hide behind a pair of sunglasses, but Christian would know her anywhere. He didn't hear Lissa get in the car. His attention was glued to his aunt a few rows over from them. And, the fact she was wearing sunglasses at night. That was kind of a dead give away of suspicious behaviour. Thanks to his vampire vision, he could see her perfectly. Due to the fact there were no obstacles in his line of sight. Lissa had been trying to get his attention, but she could see that he was staring intently out the window at something. So she followed his gaze to what ever had drew his attention.

He jumped out of the car before he even realized he was in motion. He marched over to the car that held his aunt. He started banging on the window, wanting her to get out of it. She did, taking the sunglasses off of her face. They seemed less then sufficient in what she was trying to use them for. As soon as she took a step out, he bluntly started in on his questioning.

"Did you do it? Did you set Rose up? Tell me you didn't do it! Don't fucking lie to me, Tasha!"

Tasha was taken aback at the tone of her nephew.

_Somehow he knew_.

She had overheard a liitle of Lissa and Christian's conversation about Rose. She knew something was off. She had felt it the previous night. Lissa had gave her a little attitude. It wasn't too obvious. But, for Lissa to act like that -which was totally out of character for her- she was suspicious. So she had followed them to the apartment complex. She had seen that Dimitri had opened the door to let them in.

_What he was doing here_, was still bothering her.

She stood there, eyes wide and her mouth was gaped open. She was surprised he had talked to her like that, never mind what he was actually talking about.

_And how in the hell did he find out in the first place?_

Dimitri, hearing Christians yelling, went to investigate. Leaving Rose in the apartment -_alone. _He should've known she wouldn't have stayed there. Not when he and Lissa were in the mix of things because of her -kind of.

She was hot on his heels. The moment Tasha saw her, flames erupted his her hands. That was all the answer Christian needed. He saw the hate swimming in his aunts eyes. It was then that he knew the truth. Everything was so painstakingly clear to him now.

_The offer. The rejection on Dimitri's part. They way she would look at him. All the questions that Tasha had been asking him about; wanting to get more details of Dimitri and Rose's relationship._ Everything made perfect sense to him now.

"You! You're suppose to be dead! You were executed!" she shrieked.

"You did it, didn't you? You wanted Tatiana dealt with because of the age decree. But, I don't get why you framed _Rose!" _and that's when it hit him, "Dimitri. You wanted her gone so you could have him." Christian was looking back and forth between his aunt and his good friend.

_Loyalty and love do run thicker than blood. _He had made his mind up the second his realization had dawned on him. He _loved_ Lissa, who Rose was apart of. And, he was _loyal_ to his friends, that were in the right -that is.

He also was loyal to his family, but seeing as she was the one in the wrong, he nothing to be ashamed of.

He was standing in between Tasha and Rose. Rose never even said a word the whole time she was there. She didn't have to. Christian could see the pain and betrayal underlying in her eyes. Her eyes contained a lot of sadness, regret that this was what it came down to.

No one else had said anything, other than Christian and Tasha. The thick tension in the air, was surmounting. Stifling everyone who was breathing it in. They were suffocating from it.

"I'm fucking talking to you,_ Tasha. Answer me, goddamn it!" _Christian snarled, "You're pathetic! You have to kill someone in order to get a man?" Christian was starting to worry the others around him. He had suddenly started laughing like a lunatic, "Only my family could be this fucked up! Maybe I should just turn Strigoi now, and save everyone all the trouble and heartache of losing me later!" He was really going over the deep end. His eyes were blazing with insanity.

Lissa moved to his side, but he jerked away from her once again. He didn't want anyone touching him. Not even Lissa.

After a few moments, Rose asked the question she had been dying to ask since she had found out who had actually set her up. She narrowed her eyes at Tasha, placing a hand on her hip.

"Why, Tasha?" Dimitri walked to Rose's side, trying to calm her down. He knew it wasn't going to be much longer before she exploded. He wanted to be there for her when it all came crashing down on her. He laced his fingers with her free hand.

"Roza," he whispered, "don't. Don't do it. Please? I'm begging you. Just walk away. Go back into the apartment and wait for me. Let me take care of you. Please? Just this one time, let me take care of you," He wanted so badly to get her out of harms way. He knew things weren't going to end too warm, nor too pleasantly. He bent over, only getting a breath away from Rose's ear, "Please, Roza, go back inside and let me handle this. Dont worry, nothing is going to happen. I will stop it right here, right now. But, you have to go back inside of the apartment."

She looked at him like he was stupid or something, then turned back to Tasha.

Tasha looked as if she could burn a hole right through Rose for being so close to Dimitri. And she just might do that.

The guardians that were there, were as confused as ever. They didn't know whether to intervene and tackle Rose, or just wait till everything played out. Tasha was a Moroi, after all. They were bred to protect all the Moroi. But Rose didn't seem like a threat to Tasha at that moment. So they stayed at bay.

"Why did you do that to me? I've never done anything to you. _Ever!" _Rose's face was beet red. The anger in her was boiling to the surface. She knew she was about to lose it. So did Dimitri. He tightened his grip on her hand. He wanted to prepare himself in case he had to grab her in a hurry.

Tasha glanced down at their joined hands, and the flames that were licking her palms, spread even larger.

Tasha ignored Rose's question. She was seeing red. She was highly pissed off because of Rose and Dimitri's intimate contact.

"Why Dimka?"

"_Why what, you fucking crazy bitch?" _Rose exploded.

Tasha looked back up from their joined hands, looking Rose in the eyes, _"I wasn't talking to you, you little tramp!"_

Rose wanted to desperately wrap her hands around the traitor in front of her, and choke her life's essence out of her. She wanted to _kill_ her. Dimitri was the only thing that was keeping her from it. He helped her with the darkness that was building up in her. She was drawing strength from him. Just like he had told her he would, when they were in the cabin.

Rose tried to lunge for her, but Dimitri already expecting that, tightened the grip on her hand even more.

Tasha looked at her with hate glued to her face, _"You stole Dimka from me! That's why, you little whore! He wouldn't take my offer, because of you! You need to die_! _Then_ I will have him, once and for all!" She screamed, her eyes blazing like an insane person. She had that wild look in them. Her whole body screamed it. "_With you out of the way, he would come to me! I was suppose to be there for him when you died. I guess the plans have changed. For now!" _She spat.

Dimitri spoke up beside Rose, "I was never yours to begin with, Tasha. I was only a friend. That was it. It never would have gone any farther than that. You cant blame Rose for my feelings toward you," His voice was eerily calm, "But take this as your notice: _We aren't even that anymore, you crazy bitch! We aren't even friends anymore!"_

_"_Its all because of," she pointed a finger at Rose, "_her!" _Tasha dragged her gaze from Rose to Dimitri, "We could've been more than friends, if it weren't for _her_. We could've started a life together. A family, Dimka. You would've grown to love me. I love you. I have enough love for the both of us. I want to be with you. Have your children."

That's when Tasha did the unexpected. No one even thought she would have done what she did in a million years.

She shot a flame right at Rose. Christian, seeing the first sign of the offensive spell she was casting, threw himself in front of Rose and reflected most of it. Not all.

He wasn't quick enough, though. The guardians on scene, had finally disconcerned who was the real threat. They deemed it as Tasha, and were trying to get to her, so they could restrain her. She kept casting spells. She threw a few of them at Rose again. Christian had jumped in front of Rose, trying to shield her from his aunt's rampage.

Rose was laid out on the ground. The first flame that Tasha had sent her way, had caught her on fire. Her hair had went of in flames. As well as the other guardians. Everything had just happened so fast. Tasha was setting people on fire left and right.

No one could say that Tasha was lacking in the battle mode department. She had set three people on fire in a matter of seconds. Precisely accurate. The guardians that were there, were on the ground doing the '_stop, drop, and roll,'_ sequence.

Dimitri was desperately trying to put the fire out that was raging on Rose's body.

Lissa, seeing all of this, was just frozen in her tracks, watching Christian and Tasha battling it out with their magic. It looked like Tasha had the upper hand in the match. She was the one who had taught them to him, in the first place. At the ski lodge last Christmas, Lissa had seen some of the moves they were doing. She couldn't believe what was playing out in front of her.

Christian wasn't backing down, though. He stood face to face with his aunt. Only ten feet were separating them. He was determined to keep Rose alive. Christian was throwing fireballs at his aunt, only to have her deflect them. He had not made one connect, yet.

Tasha had landed a few on him, but he was able to contain it. He put them out with his defensive magic, just as fast as they would land on him. They stood there battling it out. Flame after flame was sent flying into the night sky. It was a good thing it was so late in the human world. No one was there to witness what was going on.

Christian finally landed a fireball on Tasha, but she was good. She instantly put it out, then countered his attack with one of her own.

"_Lissa, I need you over here," _Dimitri barked, _"Rose isn't going to make it without some healing!"_

Lissa, coming out of her stupor at Dimitri's calling, kicked into action and went to kneel by him.

When she caught sight of her best friend, she didn't even recognize her. Most of Rose's long, dark hair, was gone. Leaving it more like a shoulder length bob. There were patches here and there, just totally gone. Her clothes were a charred mess. The flames had done one hellava number on her. It had accomplished most of its goal. Rose was out of commision. For now, at least. Most of her face looked as if it had just melted away. Her breathing was ragged and forced. She was screaming and moaning in pain.

Lissa was frozen. She couldn't even comprehend what was going on, let alone help out.

* * *

**There you have it!**

**How did you like the showdown?**

_**~Carmen**_


	19. Chapter 18 Healing

**Sorry it took so long to post this. Things have just been crazy on my end.**

**Thanks for all of the reviews you have given me! You guys rock!**

**Yay! Last Sacrifice in 12 days. I am so pumped for it!**

**Anyhoo, happy reading.**

**Enjoy!**

**Much love,**

_**~~~Carmen**_

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**RPOV**

"She's coming around," Lissa said, "I healed all of her injuries. She's going to be okay." Relief was evident in her voice.

I heard Lissa and Dimitri talking around me. Somehow, I was on a bed. The last thing I remember, was arguing. Arguing with Tasha. I remember Dimitri. He shoved me to the ground to put out the ….

"Oh God," I moaned. I felt someone holding my hand. Opening my eyes, I was met by some warm chocolate brown ones. There was worry evolving in them.

"Rose," Dimitri whispered. "How are you feeling?"

I looked around me, spotting Lissa hovering on my other side. Her forehead was creased and her mouth was set in a thin line. There was no one else in the room.

"I'm okay," I croaked. "How bad is it?" Dimitri looked at me with understanding. There was compassion written all over his features.

He gave a weak smile, "You're fine. Lissa healed all of your injuries. She even fixed most of you hair."

I gave him a confused look, "My hair? How did she do that?" Instinctively, I reached up and ran a my fingers through it. It was somewhat shorter than it had been previously -before the Tasha incident.

Lissa started explaining, "Well, you know how I can make a plant grow?" I nodded. "Well, It was something like that. I couldn't do a lot, but I got the worst of it." she scanned her eyes over my head, "You don't have any bald spots, but I couldn't bring the length all the way back. It was taking a lot of effort just to do what I did." A frown creased her lips.

I gave a weak smile, "Thanks, Liss. You didn't have to do that, it would have grown back -eventually."

She just nodded and returned a smile of her own.

Something came to my attention, "What about the other guardians and Christian? Are they alright?"

Lissa nodded, "They're fine. I used compulsion on the guardians, so they would forget you, but not the fight with Christian and the things she admitted." Lissa sighed.

"Can I have some water, please?" I asked, my throat was parched. Like I hadn't had any liquid in it for days. Dimitri started to get up, but Lissa insisted on going get it. She quickly got up and sprinted for the kitchen.

"Where's Christian?"

Dimitri closed his eyes for a second before replying. He opened them and gazed into my eyes. "They're out looking for Tasha. She got away."

I sat up in the bed, " Got away? How? How long have I been out? I've got to help him." Dimitri wouldn't let me get out of the bed. I noticed that I wasn't in the same clothes that I had been in when the confrontation with Tasha had went down.

He gave me a sad smile, "About 12 hours or so. Don't worry about Christian. The guardians are with him. He's fine. But," Dimitri pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me.

"What is this?" I asked confused.

He chuckled quietly, "Roza, it's a phone."

I gave him a 'duh' look that only made him laugh a little louder, "It's Tasha's. She must have dropped it in the fight. We found it after she fled."

I sat up a little straighter, "So what is the significance of the phone?" My brain was just not processing all of this fast enough.

"There are a few unknown contacts in there. We think one of them belongs to her accomplice," he tightened the grip on my hand, "Why cant you ever do as I ask? You know you could have stayed in the apartment. I could've dealt with her. Everything would hav-."

I cut him off the right way. I reached up and kissed his sweet lips, answering his question. I pulled back and looked him in the eyes, cupping his cheek with my free hand.

"You were out there and so was Lissa. Can you honestly tell me if the shoe was on the other foot, you could've stayed behind?" the look on his face was enough of an answer for me, "I didn't think so."

Lissa came back just then with my water, she looked from me to Dimitri and then back to me, "Um, sorry?" It sounded more like a question, "I didn't mean to interrupt." She handed me my water, which I took and chugged half of it. She gave me an insincere smile. I could feel sympathy flooding the bond. Along with a little relief that I was fine.

"Are you sure you're okay, Rose?" Her face was filled with worry for me.

I smiled at her, "Liss, I'm fine. Really. You did a bang up job on me. You always do," I gave a soft laugh, "Have any of you spoke to Christian? How long has he been gone?" I was worried sick about him. We had grown close over the last year. He felt more like family to me rather than just a friend. We had been through so much together, him and I.

"Yes, he's on his way here right now. I just got off of the phone with him." Lissa answered.

"How is he doing?" I knew he loved his aunt. I didn't want him to hurting over this, but I knew he was, regardless. I felt like he had to chose between his aunt and I. I didn't like it one bit, but I knew Christian, he would never betray a loyal friend. Especially one he was so close to. One of whom his aunt had it out for. Me. I knew this was a lot of pressure on him, and I felt horrible about the situation.

Lissa took a deep breathe, "I don't know how to answer that. He's as good as can be expected, I guess."

I reached out to her, pulling her into a hug, "He's tough. He'll make it through it. But you have to be there for him, Liss. He's going to need you now more than ever."

She gave me a squeeze then released me. The look on her face was pure compassion mixed with worry. It sang through the bond, "Yes, I know."

* * *

After Lissa and Christian left, Dimitri and I were snuggling in the bed. We lay there in silence, mulling over the events of the last 24 hours.

I was trying to deduce everything that had happen. I was trying to sort everything out in my own head.

One: Tasha had admitted to what she had done.

Two: Her and Christian had battled it out -so to speak.

Three: She had inflicted major damage to me and the other guardians.

Four: She had gotten away while Dimitri and Lissa were tending to me. The other guardians were almost in the same shape I had been in. Christian was too weak to use more of his magic on her. She was stronger than him.

Five: After Lissa had healed the guardians, they and Christian had gave chase to her, but it was too late. They lost her.

Six: Christian knows the truth and doesn't hold anything against me.

Finally, we have some sort of lead with the contacts in her phone.

I had talked to Abe about everything that happen over the phone. We had went over the numbers in Tasha's phone and Abe was looking into them. He also informed me that he had a good start on finding the sibling. But I was left with the leg work.

I had to get started on it in the morning. Lissa and Christian insisted on coming along with Dimitri and I. We were suppose to meet up around noon. We were taking a flight to New Orleans to pay Sydney a visit. Abe had told me she had some info on the child that she couldn't discuss over the phone.

"What are you thinking about, Roza?" Dimitri murmured against my forehead. He was holding me tight in his touch sent fireworks throughout my entire body. He wouldn't let me get too far away from him since everything with Tasha had happen. He felt a little overprotective of me. But compared to how Abe was feeling, Dimitri was a kitten and Abe was a lion. Abe was out for blood. Not just any blood, though, he wanted Tasha's head ona stake.

I sighed, "Why did she have to do this to me? I've never done anything to that fucking bitch."

Dimitri shook his head, both of us knowing the answer: It was because of him.

I hated that he was blaming himself, yet once again, because of me.

"She's sick in the head, Rose."

He propped his head up with his elbow resting on the bed with is head in his hand. Any emotion he may have been concealing, was gone. There were so many emotions swirling in his brown orbs. But the most prominent one of all, was love. _Love for me._

His gaze made my heart squeeze with love. After all I had been through to get him back, I had achieved my goal. I had _my_ Dimitri back. The real one. The one who loved me as much as I love him.

I snuggled closer to him, resting my head on his chest. I could feel his heart pounding in my ear. He reached down and took my lips with his. Fierce passion filled the kiss. I wanted him _so, so_ bad at that moment.

He pulled back a little, gazing deeply into my eyes. "I will never leave you again. I will never, ever break your heart again, either. I love you so much, Roza."

I was only wearing a pair of cotton shorts with my schools logo on the back of them. I had on a chemise with no bra. My nipples perked up, snapping to attention the minute he ran his hand along my side, tracing my breast with his fingers.

There was a smoldering hunger in his eyes and I knew my own mirrored his. I reached up wrapping my hand around his neck, pulling his head down to meet my own. I leaned my forehead to his.

"I know." I whispered. I took his lips urgently with my own. That was all it took. Our resolved finally crashed and burned.

Dimitri was only wearing a pair of pajama bottoms, so it made my task a little easier. I trailed my hand along the elastic band that securely held his pants up. I traced the outer band with the tips of my fingers. Then I dove them under the waist band, grabbing a hold of his erection and massaging it teasingly. I still couldn't get over the enormous size of him. He was well endowed.

Dimitri emitted a low growl. I didn't need to entice him with teasing. He was already saluting me at full attention.

He trailed his hands under my shirt, kneading my breast with one hand. I arched up to him, giving him more access. His lips took mine once more, kissing me so hard I knew a bruise would emerge in the morning. But at that moment I didn't care. I wanted him. _Bad._

He pulled back and asked in a husky tone, "Roza, are you sure?"

I gave him a level look, "I've never been more sure of anything in my life." That was all it took.

Clothes came off, and Dimitri's god-like body, covered mine.

I was in a euphoria state of mind. _For hours._

_

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**Hey guys, I know this was short, but I couldn't leave you hanging any longer.**

**I hope you like it.**

_**~Carmen**_


	20. Chapter 19 Long Trip

**Sorry guys! I know, I know! I'm really trying though! Sorry it took me so long to update. I am working on some more chapters! If I don't get them finished, do you guys just want me to tell you what I think is going to happen? Your choice. The next chapter will feature some action and I think it will include the child as well! Be patient with me! I love you all!**

**I don't own VA, nor its' characters!**

**Happy reading!**

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen**_

_**

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My POV

"We have got to go." Rose's voice held an urgent tone to it. "_As in now!"_

Dimitri was just finishing up in the shower when she had burst into the bathroom. She started chucking clothes at him. He hurried to put them on, while still managing to try to find out why she was in such a hurry. He knew this was in no way, a good situation.

"Rose, what's going on?" he knew she was in a panic about something. "Are you okay?"

She started shaking her head furiously, "Abe just called. Things are _not_ okay, Dimitri. They know. As in _they know, they know! About me!"_

He knew instantly what she was referring to, and he knew it wasn't a good thing either, "Lissa and Chris-."

She cut him off, "We are leaving without them. Abe has a jet ready for us right now. We don't have to go through security. He has one waiting at a private airstrip that's only ten minutes away. I packed us up and we have a car outside waiting on us."

Dimitri kicked into action, grabbing his things and following Rose outside to the waiting car. Once they were in it, the driver took off with his foot slammed into the peddle, making both of their heads jerk back into the seat. The dhampir man didn't ask any questions. Dimitri and Rose both knew he was one of Abe's minions. There was no need to explain to him about what was going on. Hell, he was probably use to Abe's scheming ways and learned how to keep his mouth shut when it came to Abe's illegal business, cause he didn't want to wind up face down, floating in the Monongahela River. Something that she was sure would happen if Abe wanted it to. Even though the man seemed like a loyal employee to both her and Dimitri.

Dimitri could feel Rose trembling in the seat beside him. Her hands were quaking, either from fear or excitement, he didn't know. He reached over and grabbed her, pulling her snuggly into his side. He wrapped his arm around her and started rubbing her arm and shoulder in a futile attempt to calm her down.

"I was just in Lissa's head and the Guardian Council had her in an interrogation room. Hans was in there, but he wasn't the one that was doing the talking. It was the Moroi Council," she took a breath before continuing, "I read some of Lissa's thoughts and I from what I got out of it, Hans had gave her a warning that they were coming for her. He told her to just not say anything at all He told her to pass the message along to both Adrian and Christian. He wanted all of them to act like they didn't know what the hell they were talking about."

Rose glanced at Dimitri, gathering the strength she needed to go on, "She was doing an Oscar winning performance too. Trust me. She could've won an academy award for it, Christian and Adrian both were being detained as well, and they are on the hunt for you. Somehow they found out. I think maybe Tasha sent in a phone call. It's a wonder we didn't get raided back there at the house. I bet if we would have stayed there a little longer, we would have gotten caught," she drew in a shaky breath, "Hell, they are probably there right now. _They even may be waiting for us at the airstrip! Who the hell knows! Jesus Christ, why cant I get a fucking break here?"_

Rose was getting slightly hysterical, so Dimitri leaned over and whispered, "It's going to be fine, Roza. I'm here, you're safe, love. I also know for a fact Abe would not let any harm come to you and neither would I or your mom. I'm sure Lissa, Christian and Adrian are doing a fine job, Roza. They _will not_ take you as long as I am still breathing," his voice was turning into a malevolent tone, "_They will not. Do you hear me?"_

She let out a sigh and laid her head against his chest, "I know. That's the problem. I don't want to get any of you in more trouble than you're already in," She looked up so she could meet his eyes, "I love you and the rest of my family, I don't want to have yo-."

Dimitri leaned down and planted a gentle kiss against her lips, "Everything is fine. I'm here because I do love you, Roza. I'm here because I want to be. I couldn't live my life without you being a part of it. If something happens to you, then I may as well shrivel up and die, cause I cant go on living without my heart."

She gave a weak attempt of a smile, then closed her eyes, trying to relax a little. No such luck, though.

The rest of the ride to the landing strip was quiet. Only the sound of their breathing and some sound from the radio playing in the background. A song that no one could decipher that was playing 'cause the volume was turned down low.

The car started slowing down, then made a sharp right turn, then accelerated again. Trees were flying past the car windows. The car was traveling along a dirt road out in the middle of nowhere at an alarming rate of speed. Then it made a left turn and slowed down again.

"This is out in the middle of the boondocks." Rose commented. Dimitri looked around through the windows and nodded in agreement.

"What else should I have expected from Zmey." she chuckled half-heartedly.

Once the car came to a stop, the driver hurriedly to get out of the car, coming to the back doors to open them for his passengers. But he was beat to it by Dimitri jumping out of the car, with Rose in tow.

Dimitri was going for the luggage, but the dhampir chauffeur got to them first.

The driver proceeded to grab the bags and brought them to the plane that was waiting for them to board. There was a man standing at the stairs that led to the entrance of the plane. They approached him with caution. But the man was all smiles as he greeted them. Rose and Dimitri looked at each other, both shrugging at the situation and gave the gentleman a smile in return.

"Rosemarie, Dimitri," he nodded in way of a greeting them, "this is for you. Your father told me to give this to you. You're going to need it. Have a safe trip." he nodded to them once more then turned on his heel, walking to a Mercedes that was parked a few yards away.

Rose held the package the man offered, with a confused look upon her face. She opened the large envelope carefully. Inside she seen passports, credit card's, birth certificate's, social security card's, driver licenses, and a large amount of cash. This was a package her father had set up in case she had to start a new life. One that did not include her previous one. One that she would live among humans, if she failed her current mission that she was faced with. But she wasn't the only one. There was also the same kind of documents in it for Dimitri as well.

Her eyes went wide with shock. She had never seen that large of an amount of cash before in her life. Not even when Adrian gave her some on his trust fund for her little excursion to Russia. Her life suddenly seemed surreal to her. Everything she had ever known, may just as well have not even existed if she did not complete the task that was set before her.

"Rose? Rose, are you alright?" Dimitri was standing at her side, he didn't know what was in the envelope that could make her look like that. And something told him he wouldn't like it. "Roza?"

She looked up at him, trying to steady her wobbling legs, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." she closed the large, yellow envelope and tucked it safely under her arm, "Lets go." she took the steps that led to the entrance of the plane two at a time. She wanted to get aboard before she chickened out.

Dimitri scurried after her, even with his longer strides, he had trouble keeping up with her. They took their seats side by side, and as soon as they were buckled in, the planes' door closed, making a vacuuming sound. There wasn't no other passengers aboard, but there was a male Moroi flight attendant that came up to them asking if they needed anything to eat or drink. _Great, another henchmen, _Rose thought. They both got a soda. The Moroi told them that if either of them needed anything, just ask him and he would get it for them.

Both of them relaxed a little after the plane was in the air. When they were safely miles off the ground, Dimitri turned to Rose, "What was in the envelope?" he murmured.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them and resting her brown orbs on the seat in front of her.

"Our new life." she whispered. She handed over the package to him and he looked in it, pulling out each article one at a time and going over it. He scrutinized it like it was some foreign object. Once he finished his inquiry he turned to face her with kind, loving eyes.

"It's going to be fine, Roza. We will fulfill this quest and get you back to your life. That I can promise you." he took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

Rose leaned her head back against the soft leather of her seat and closed her eyes, "I hope so," she breathed. "Did you see the name on the documents? Where in the hell did he get that name from? I sound like a child that had pot-smoking, hippie parents! Dream Dawn Dubois! Good lord, my new initials are D.D.D.!"

Dimitri shook his head, with a small grin lighting his face, "It could have been worse."

Rose opened her eyes and narrowed them at him, "Don't even say it! Please don't give that old man any ideas!" They both chuckled and rest each of their heads back. Then they fell silent for a few minutes.

"Get some sleep. We still have a few hours before we land in New Orleans. I'll wake you up when we get there," He turned his head so he could gaze at her lovely form, "Do you want a pillow?" she didn't answer him, and he soon knew why: She was already sound asleep. He took his long coat off of his self and spread it out over the woman that he loved. Then he too closed his eyes so he could get some rest. God knew he would need it. They were going to have a really long day ahead of them.

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**I know its short, but some of the things that they talked about plays a role in my next chapter!**

_**~~~Carmen**_


	21. Chapter 20

_**I know, I know! It has been way too long since I have updated! **_

_**I am soooooo sorry! It wont happen again!**_

_**Guys, forgive me? **_

_**It wont happen again!**_

_**And for those who think I have given up on this story, you cant be more wrong. **_

_**I'm just gonna go in a different direction than I previously planned on!**_

_**I love you guys! You make me feel loved with all of your comments and thanks!**_

_~~~Carmen_

_**

* * *

**_

_**My POV**_

As soon as the plane landed, Rose's eyes flew open. She was trying to get her bearings, but it was hard considering the lighting was almost nonexistent. It took her a few moments to remember that she was on a plane headed for the _Big Easy_. Dimitri was wide awake next to her. His overhead light was on, showing a golden halo around his head.

He gave her a wide, white toothed grin. "Hey, you're awake. Want something to eat before we get off the plane? They have a hot meal waiting for you."

She let out a muffled yawn. "No. I'm not hungry." She didn't want to tell him that she hadn't had a decent appetite in days. She thought it funny that he hadn't picked up on it yet. "What time is it? I feel like I have a hangover." She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands, trying to wipe the sleep out of them. She peered over at him once her eyes came back into focus." He had been sitting there staring at her since she first opened her eyes. Maybe even before then. "What? Do I have drool or something on my face?" She self-consciously wiped at her mouth.

He gave a soft chuckle. "No. You don't. It's almost five o'clock. You slept like the dead. I wouldn't doubt but you would feel like that sleeping that hard. Do you know that you snore? _Loudly._" He chuckled softly again, but didn't give her any more explanation than that, then went back to eating his dinner.

She straightened up in her seat and stretched like a cat, reaching high for the roof up the plane. "I do not snore!" she protested, feigning hurt in her voice. "I got to pee. Be right back." She got out of her seat and headed for the bathroom.

Dimitri finished eating and the flight attendant came and took his tray away. He got out of his seat and started fishing the luggage out of the overhead compartment. Once he got the bags he headed for the entrance, where the door was already open and the stairs were already in place for their departure.

Rose met him there and wrapped her arms around his waist, standing on tip-toe so she could reach his lips. He dropped the bags and wrapped his big arms around her, pulling her closer to him. "That's all I get? Just a peck on the lips?" He pulled her tighter to him and deepened the chaste kiss. Their lips met and an explosion of passion started kindling. They wrapped up in each others arms, neither of them not wanting the moment to end. But like all good things, they must come to an end.

"Mmm. That's more like it." He bent down and gave her another soft kiss, reluctant to end their embrace, but he knew they needed to get off the plane. "Ready?" He looked down into her bright brown eyes, drinking in the love and affection he saw there.

She sighed and picked up one of the bags. "Ready as I'll ever be." Rose couldn't resist, she reached up to give him another peck on the lips, then got her butt in gear. "Let's get this over with." She gave another sigh and stepped out into the hot, humid air of south-east Louisiana.

As soon as they got out of the plane they saw a black sedan awaiting them. They couldn't see who was in the drivers seat, but once they got closer the drivers door opened and a blond girl stepped out. Rose knew who it was right away.

"Sydney?" Sydney Sage was leaning against the door with her lips twitching. Unsure whether to smile or frown. She was dressed in a silk green button up sleeveless blouse. A black leather skirt that came to mid-thigh. Topping the outfit with knee-high leather black boots with black tights. Her hair was longer than Rose remembered and it was held to the top of her head with a green silk ribbon wrapped around her ponytail.

"Hello, Rose. And this must be the infamous Dimitri Belikov." She gave him a once over. Slowly dragging her gaze the whole length of Dimitri's tall frame. Stopping at his chest momentarily. When she finally did pull away from him, she gave Rose an approving nod of her head. When they were only a few feet away her lips lost the battle and did indeed form a tight grin.

Rose's eyebrows rose and she grinned from ear to ear. "Good to see you again. Long time no see. And yes, this is Dimitri. Dimitri, this is Sydney. You remember me telling you about her. She's the alchemist that helped me, uh, that helped me when I was in Russia." Rose stumbled over the latter half the introduction.

Dimitri, pretending he didn't notice the awkward intro, put the bag down that he was carrying and reached out to Sydney to shake her hand. After a moments hesitation she extended hers and clasped his, giving it a firm shake.

"Nice to meet you, Sydney." She gave him a small smile then turned back to Rose.

"Your father sent me to retrieve you. We have a place set up for you to st-"

"I should have known. Are you going to be on babysitting detail, too?" Rose stated.

Dimitri gave an amused laugh and clasp her hand in his. "No, Rose. That's my job."

Rose let out an exasperated sigh. "Well then, do I have a choice?" Dimitri and Sydney both gave her a quizzical look. "About having a sitter or not? I'm not five years old, you know." They both shook their head in reply to her question. "Should have known."

Sydney went around the vehicle so that they could put their bags away. Then they got in the car and got onto what looked like a main road. They drove in relative silence for about ten minutes, until Rose couldn't take it any longer.

"Where are we going to be staying? They Hilton?" She had a sly grin on her face. But her hopes were dashed when Sydney replied.

"No. Not the Hilton, Rose. We have a small apartment set up for you right off of Magazine Street. We cant have you drawing attention to yourself." Sydney glanced in the back seat at Dimitri in the rearview mirror. "Either of you. Are we clear?"

Dimitri nodded in affirmation and Rose gave a loud, "Humph."

"I'll accept that as a yes. Now, do you two have your paperwork?"

Rose narrowed her eyes at the blonde. Not that she could see her, because she was too busy studying the road as she drove. "If you mean by paperwork, and the crap name that my dad thought of for me, then yes. We do."

"Actually," Sydney said. "I thought it up, _and _did the documents myself. You're welcome, by the way."

Rose stared at her in disbelief. "_You_ gave me that damn name? How could you?"

Sydney gave a soft laugh. "Let's just call it payback."

"_Payback for what? What the hell have I ever done to deserve something like that!"_ Rose shrieked.

"Oh I don't know. Let me count the ways. Well there was that one time when we were at th-"

"Let's not." Rose gruffed.

"Sydney, not to complain or anything, but I haven't done anything to you and you give me a name of Edward Emmett Cullinov?" He chuckled. "I sound like a glittering, gay vampire who's too stuck on himself."

Sydney laughed and the car jerked to the left. But then Rose laughed at Sydney for laughing, then Dimitri joined the fray.

When Rose was able to contained her laughter, she turned in her seat to face Dimitri. "Since when do you make jokes, hot stuff?"

And that's when it happened.

There was a loud crack in the air. At first they all froze. No one seemed to know what happened. Then the tire blew out on the next crack of air. The car tail-spun to the right sharply and Sydney hit the brakes a little too hard.

"What the hell is that?"

Dimitri looked behind them, and low and behold there was a car right on their ass with a man sticking out of the passenger window with a gun pointed in their direction. The next pop was followed by a agonizing scream from Dimitri. Rose looked to see what was wrong, and all she saw was blood leaking through his shirt.

"_Oh my God! Sydney help!"_ Rose jumped into the backseat and ripped Dimitri's shirt open. There was a gunshot wound in his upper right shoulder.

Sydney glanced in the backseat to see what was going on. "_Holy shit! They're shooting at us!_ Rose, I have two guns under my seat. Grab them. I have to pull over. I can control the car with the tire blown out._"_ When Rose didn't respond to her, she turned in her seat, finally pulling the car to a screeching halt. "_Rose! Now! They are almost to the car!"_

Rose snapped out of it, and reached for the weapons. "Here." She handed one to Dimitri and one to Sydney. "Do you know how to use it?" she asked Sydney. She nodded her head and braced herself as her car door was wrenched open.

There was a tall Dhampir with a gun in his hand, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her from the car. Before the other man could open Rose's door, she opened it, hitting the man hard in the knee with it. She took this advantage of surprise to gain ground in the fight. She didn't want to have to shoot either of the men, but she would if she had to.

Rose didn't have time to coach Sydney on how to render one unconscious. Her limbs were flying hitting and kicking. She was able to hit the sweet spot, and the man fell to the ground with a hard _thrump._

She looked over her shoulder to see if Sydney was okay, and saw Dimitri looming over a form that was laying on the ground.

She quickly made her way to them just in time to assist Dimitri as he slumped against the car.

"Lets get him in the car. I know where I can take him to get this treated. Who in the heck was that? No one knows you're here!"

Rose gave her a sour look. "Evidently they do."

They got Dimitri in the car and then they proceeded to change the flattened tire. Twenty minutes later they were on the road again.

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_**Much love,**_

_Carmen_


	22. Chapter 21 Hospital

**Hey all! I know this is a short chapter, but I hope you like it anyway. I have been busy catching up on all of the books that I neglected while I was waiting for LS to come out. I just couldnt concetrate on anything else when I had that on my mind.**

**Anyway, I made myself write a chapter because I just couldnt keep you guys waiting for it any longer. So sorry it took so long!**

**I'll try to update again sometime this week.**

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen~~~**_

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_Rose's Pov_

Dimitri had been in surgery for over an hour before someone came out to tell Sydney and me that he pulled through just fine. He was now in a recovery room with monitors and tubes in him. I was pacing the lobby, wearing the white tile out in the process.

I heard Sydney talking rather loudly, swinging her arms wildly at the doctor who came out to talk to us.

"What do you mean? You cant report this! This is why we came here! We can't let anyone know about this right now! At least wait for a few hours. Wait 'til we are gone, then report it. You can do that, can't you?" she shouted furiously.

The doctor backed up a step in order not to get hit by her limbs that were still swinging. He shouldn't be worried about her hitting him, he should be worried about _me._

I walked over to where they were, planting myself next to her, giving the good doctor a death glare. I felt my eyes narrow at the two of them. I could not stand being out of the loop. I wanted to know what the hell was going on around me at all times. Even if I didnt like what that was.

"I already told you, Ms. Sage," the doc said, "we have to report all gunshot victims to the authorities." He sounded a _lot_ weary.

"Authorities?" I questioned. Being the doctor was a dhampir, he couldn't mean the _human authorities._

The doctor cast his eyes to me. "The guardian council, Ms, ah, I didn't catch your name Ms."

"That's because I didn't give it," I retorted, giving him a once over. I was pretty sure I could detain him if I wanted to. If he went for the phone, then I wanted to.

We were in a small clinic that only had one doctor, two nurses, and a receptionist. So yeah, I think I could take 'em.

"Dubois," Sydney told him, casting me a look that told me to let her do the talking. Fine with me. She could talk and I could hit. Works out perfectly.

I only had one problem with that, however. I hated being on the sideline. "Authorities?" I repeated.

"The Guardian Council, Ro, Dream." Uh I hated that name!

Whatever smart ass comment I was about to say, died in my throat.

_The Guardian Council. I am royally screwed now._

Sydney and I just stared at each other a heartbeat longer, then she went back to arguing with the doctor.

A nurse came out of the double doors that led to the patients' room behind it. She murmured something to the doctor then turned on her heal and went back through the white doors.

"Ms. Dubois, the patient is awake and is requesting to see you. You can visit for a few minutes, but he really needs his rest," the doctor said curtly.

I nodded my head once, not trusting my voice not to crack.

"Through there," he nodded to the doors, "first door on the right."

I glanced at Sydney, she nodded then went back to talking to the doctor.

I went though the doors, following the directions that he gave me.

Dimitri had tubes coming out of his arms and monitors on his chest. His eyes were closed and he was breathing shallowly.

I stood by the side of his bed, not wanting to say anything for fear of waking him. He must have heard me, cause his eyes opened, giving me a tight lipped smile.

"Hey," I said softly, running my hand along his arm. He took my hand with his free one, bringing it to his lips, kissing the palm of it.

"I'm fine, Roza," he said hoarsely. Not very convincingly, though.

Looking at him like this only strengthened my resolve that much more. I knew what I had to do. It was going to hurt like a son of a bitch, but I had to do it.

I ran my other hand through his long brown hair, feeling the silkiness of it through my fingers. I gently ran it down his cheek, coming further down his face, running it the length of his strong jaw line, feeling the light stubble against the tips of my fingers. Finally rubbing them against his lips, smoothing them with the pad of my thumb. I was furiously blinking back my tears the best I could.

He captured my eyes with his warm brown ones. "I'm fine, really." He winced as a stab of pain slashed through his shoulder at the jostling of him holding my hand. "I'm ready to get out of here." He was sooo not ready. The medication they had him on was making him slur slightly.

I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly before speaking. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to get all of you involved in this. This is all my fault, Dimitri. You could have been -." I had to choke back a sob. I couldn't bring myself to say it aloud. I just couldn't.

"It's _not_ your fault, Rose," he said emphatically. "I love you and nothing,_ nothing,_ will ever keep me from being by your side. _Ever_. Understand? _Never." _Dimitri didnt blame me, but _I_ blamed _me._

The guilt of seeing him like this was eating me from the inside out. He could have been killed. And it would have all been because of me. I couldnt let this kind of thing happen again. My loved ones meant the most to me. Not my freedom or even my life. Their safety was, is, my priority. They were on the top of my list in keeping them from harm. And at the moment that harm was me. They were putting them selves on the front line for me, and that just could not happen any longer.

I had to be eliminated from them. Alienated, even. If that's what it took to pay the price for their safety, I was willing to pay up.

I bent down and brushed my lips to his, ever so slightly, feeling the warmth of them being pressed against mine. "I love you so much. Don't ever forget that. Please, remember that. Always. I love you." He nodded his head, even as he was drifting off back to sleep, his medication kicking in once more.

I gave him one last lingering kiss. I ran my fingers though his hair again, savoring the feel and smell of him. I closed my eyes, breathing deeply, then turned, walking out of the room, tears streaming down my face. Knowing what I must do and doing it, were two totally different things. Nothing could make this any easier, except knowing that everyone was going to be a lot safer than they were at this moment. That was the only thing that gave me the strength of walking out of Dimitri's room. And life. Forever.

I wiped my face with the back of my hand, pulling out my cell phone with the other. I quickly dialed a number that was saved in the contacts on it before I chickened out.

"Abe? I need you to do me a favor."


	23. Chapter 22 On My Own

**Hey everyone! I was able to do this a little early for you guys!**

_**I wasnt planning on updating this until the weekend, but I had a little free time on my hands so I was able to get this wrote and uploaded for you guys!**_

_**I know some of you dont like this, but this is the direction I'm going in for now.**_

_**Dont worry. There will be more of Dimitri time later on!**_

_**I hope you all like the plot twist. I also tried to spell everything out so no one gets lost along the way!**_

_**I almost did a prologue, but decided against it. I didnt want to start a new story, so I'm going forth with this one.**_

_**Lemme know what you guys and gals think!**_

Okay, since a lot of you didn't like the time jump, I revised it to only 3 years. Good enough?

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen~~~**_

_**RPOV**_

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It had been three years since I walked out of that hospital room, leaving my friends and family behind. Three years of not being with Dimitri, My one true love. Three very torturous years. Every day it hurt like hell. But it was all for the best for them.

Every day I looked in the mirror and saw the reason for their grief. Me. I saw the one person who had rained all of the heartache and loss down on them. I despised my self most days. Some days I didn't even bother looking at that reflection. Looking at myself made me sick to my stomach most of the time. Okay, _all_ of the time.

I know you are wondering why I never went back to my old life after Tasha was the one convicted of High Treason. But she was still MIA. There had been search parties gathered looking for her all this time along with my own personal search for her. If I went back now, without finding her, I would blow my one and only chance at freedom for God knows how long. And I just couldn't do that! I wanted to be the one to bring that bitch in. That was all that was keeping me going nowadays.

It was like I couldn't be at peace with myself if she wasn't found and brought in, even if it was me doing the bringing in. Although, I was itching to get my hands on her; fire user or no, and whip her ass to no end. I could take her down all by myself. I felt very sure of that. Call me conceited, but I really do think with all the rage that was built up inside of me would be unleashed upon her. And _that_ was enough adrinaline to motivate me to beat her ass until I dropped dead from exhaustion.

I felt it was a personal vendetta after her setting me up, and then all the pain she caused when she had showed up to the apartment that Abe had rented on my behalf that night. The night the crazy ho caught me on fire! So yeah, it was personal.

Abe, along with the Alchemists' help, had found Lissa's sibling. She was now queen and had two kids. A little boy who was two, and then a few months ago, a little girl. Her and Christian had gotten married less then a year after I had disappeared. She was doing good for herself and her family. Her sister Jill was now married to my friend Eddie. They were now expecting their first child.

Adrian and Sydney were together. Yeah, you heard right. Sydney with an evil creature of the night. Much to the dislike of the other alchemist, she was married to Adrian. Even most of the dhampir and Moroi didn't approve of their relationship, but Adrian told everyone who didn't like it to go get fucked. His words, not mine. She was now living at court with him. Her and Lissa had become quite good friends over the years. Lissa put her to work on her staff when she left the Alchemist world.

Adrian had finally quit drinking and smoking. Go figure. Party boy had finally started walking the straight and narrow once he hooked up with a human girl. He also was working under Lissa, doing some kind of magic teaching for all the other spirit users they had found. They had taken the spirit users that were in Tarasov out, and were now working with them, trying to teach them the ins and outs of spirit as best they could. He appeared in my dreams for a year straight till he finally got the hint and quit trying to get me to go back to court.

Along with my personal grievances with Tasha, there was also another reason I couldn't go back to court. There was a warrant still in place for my capture. One that I would have had to spend a fair amount of time in jail for. Time I wasn't willing to pay locked up behind bars. The warrant was for assault on quite a few of my fellow guardians, and the little issue of breaking out of jail, along with a few other things.

There was more to it, I just didn't know all of the intricacies of it. I didn't want to implicate those that helped aid me in my little escape. That was a long list of people having to pay the price, in and of itself. Even though Lissa was now queen, she couldn't undo the damage that was already done. All of the Moroi-dhampir community knew what had happened, and if I just suddenly showed up, there would be repercussions.

Some were just waiting for Lissa to fall face first as her being the reigning queen. A lot of the Moroi disagreed with her being their new queen for the simple fact of her age. Or it could be because of them wanting their family member in that position. Or it could be because she was married to the one whose family member murdered their beloved queen. Who knows? Moroi politics were a very tough line to walk, much less being the queen of said politics.

All involved would have had to spend a fair amount of time in a jail cell. Out of all of them involved, however, Lissa was the one whom I didn't think would be able to survive that little feat. Aside from the actual time in jail, it would ruin her status as queen. She tried her best to get the warrant revoked, but she only had so much pull due to the fact the Guardian Council was run by dhampir policy, not Moroi. Even though they did take the queens pleas into account, she still didn't have the pull to get it eradicated.

So yeah, I stayed away to protect the ones I loved the most. But that didn't stop them from searching for me. No, not even close.

Through the bond, even though I had got really, really good about keeping myself from channeling Lissa's emotions and thoughts, every now and then I would check up on her and the rest of my loved ones. I only checked in with her whenever I felt a really strong emotion coming from her. Which wasn't very often nowadays. Once a month, maybe. If that.

When I first disappeared with Abe and my mom's help, I was nearly sucked into her head twenty-four hours a day. Those days started spacing out after about a year after I left. Now they were down to only the days that she got some feedback on a sighting of me from her bounty-hunting posse.

Through her I had learned that Tasha still hadn't been found or arrested yet. That was a really big upset to all involved. Not only Lissa, but it was nearly killing Christian. They had made pleas on her behalf to arrest her and lock her away for life. But due to the fact of her horrendous crime, she had to have a public execution waiting for her. Royal or not.

The guardians had a _'shoot on sight' _standing order for her. Not that I couldn't very well blame them; the bitch was crazy and she deserved it. But I knew how much it was hurting Christian knowing his only surviving relative, aside from Lissa and their children, was set to be killed once found.

I was still in high hopes that I found the psycho first. Her face had an appointment with my fist. I sooo wanted to find her first. The bitch caused me precious time with my family.

I also found out through Abe that Victor and Robert was in cahoots with her. Tasha's objective was to get Dimitri once I was executed, but Victors objective was to get rid of Tatiana for some of her policies. He is just a loon with his thinking. There were also guardians looking for him and his crazy ass brother.

Lissa's head was just full of information that kept me one step ahead of her and her posse that was looking for me. They had never stopped trying to locate me and bring me back to court these last few years. Every time one of her scouting parties would call her to give her the d/l on sightings of me, helped me to stay a step ahead by picking her brain and getting the info from there on how to evade her troops.

Along with Lissa's _'Drag Rose back to Court' _party's, Dimitri was also on a one man team by himself. He would take regular trips in order to catch me. His trips lasted months and months at a time, hardly taking any time out of his life to visit with his family. It made me die a little inside every day knowing how badly I was hurting him. But I just couldn't keep dragging him in to things that were my fault because of wanting to be with him out of selfishness for my self. I just couldn't do it.

I hated the fact of him having to go through these trials. It was for his and the rest of my family's best interest if I was never saw or was heard from again, even if they couldn't understand or come to terms with that logic.

I found out -via Lissa's head- that on one of his rare trips home, that Dimitri reconnected with one of his old girlfriends. They were now a hot item even though he was looking for me. But the most surprising news of all, _she _was helping him find me. It stung a little, okay, a lot, that he was with someone else, but I was the one who walked away. I would have to live with that the rest of my life for my choice. The best I could do was deal with my emotions enough to be happy for him. Be happy that he had found someone to share his life with him. They had been together for about a year. She had more time with Dimitri than what I did. I haven't seen or talked to him to find out if he was in love with her. But then again, it's not any of my business.

_I was the one who walked out of his life that day in the hospital. I couldn't care that much for him if I just up and left him like that!_ If I kept saying it, it must be true, right? Yeah. Right.

Label me _STUPID!_

Dimitri, however, unlike the other party's of the queen, didn't check in with Lissa to give her a status report of his efforts. I've had a few close calls and near misses with Dimitri over the years. There was this one time in South Florida that he almost caught up with me. If he would've showed up only a few hours earlier, I would've been one caught woman. I had just barely gotten away before he showed up at the apartment I was sharing in South Beach with a couple of other dhampir women.

Someone gave me a heads up on him asking questions about me, and showing pictures of me around the dhampir community there. He showed up on my doorstep only mere hours after I had left. The girls I was rooming with called me on my cell the minute he left. They told him that he had got some false information on me being there in South Beach. Girl code and all that; we stick together. That was a very close call. The closest he ever got to finding me that I know of. I ditched the phone that my roommate had called me on and got a new one just to be sure. As much as I loved him and would die for him, I couldn't go back. Not yet. Not till I fulfilled my goal of finding the psycho bitch first.

I also didn't want to intrude in on his relationship with his _girlfr-. Now, that is a word I just can not say. Or think._

Not that I think that highly of my self and my actions, I just know we have, -had-, a really deep connect with each other.

At least with him being absent around Lissa, also meant I didn't have to see him, -or his new girl, whom I don't even now what she looks like-, through her eyes, making it a little easier to bear.

There was some good that came out of all of this, though. Mikhail was able to find Sonya and turn her back into a Moroi again. Each of the hunting party's included a Spirit user, just in case I was turned into a Strigoi. With one being in each group, insured that I could be changed back to my dhampir self again.

The spirit users were taught how to charm a stake and taught how to drive it through a heart. Something that is not so easy to do. When they first started training Dimitri made sure all of them knew how to make the strike perfectly. I watched through Lissa's eyes the first training. After Dimitri left Court Mikhail was entrusted to teach the class the correct procedure. They really wanted to make sure the Moroi got the technique just right.

Even though I was still killing those creatures, none of them ever got lucky enough to change me. Yet. Hopefully they never do.

And that brings me full circle. I'm now back in Portland again. Actually, in Portland and living in the same house that I was when Dimitri dragged Lissa and I back to the Academy. Returning to the scene of the crime, so to speak.

None of them would ever think about looking for me here of all places. Right?

* * *

_**I hope you guys like the plot line and the new things I'm doing with this story.**_

_**I didnt want to replica LS too much, so I shot to the future.**_

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen~~~**_


	24. Chapter 23 Details

_**Hey guys!**_

_**Sorry it took me so long to update this story!**_

_**I promise you it wont take long to update it again!**_

**Sometimes the negative reviews just sets into my mind and I don't even want to write when I get them. They are a real downer. If you don't like this story, please, don't review it.**

**Those kind of things just get to me.**

**But, for those who do enjoy my story, by all means, LET ME KNOW!**

**There is nothing more inspirational than a good review!**

**Much love,**

**~~~Carmen**

* * *

Being up thirty six hours straight and not even feeling remotely sleepy is really, really frustrating. Back at the Academy I would have been passed out right about now. Begging for a bed. Taking full advantage of any sleep time I could get. How I missed those innocent times. So simple. So peaceful. Today, not so much. Bad things have happened, and every time I close my eyes a flood of imagines rush like a raging river under my closed eyelids.

So yeah, sleepless nights -or days- depending on my own little hunting adventures. The ones for Tasha, and the clubbing scenes where I take down as many Strigoi that my roomies and I can possibly handle. Which on good nights are quite a lot.

Sometimes my sleeplessness goes on for weeks at a time. It's like…It's like I just cant seem to turn off my mind. I constantly have things running through it, trying to figure out which direction in my life I am willing to take. Often it seems like an executive decision. Well, in some ways it was. I've been stuck in this rut for a few months now. Battling insomnia, really, really, _really_ sucks. Anyone who has been there knows exactly what I am talking about.

It's currently almost eight in the morning, and no one is stirring in the house, yet. I live with two other girls -dhampirs that seem to be like me, rogue, although not on the run from the guardians- or a felon- in our little rented house located -in what seems like- frat house row paradise. Lots of college students are up and about doing their early morning errands before their A.M. classes. I'm was just sitting on the steps smoking a cigarette -yeah, bad habit, blah, blah, blah, if you were in my shoes I'm sure you'd pick up a bad habit or two- trying to calm my racing mind.

One of the college boys, Justin, was walking along on the sidewalk in front of the house. He slowed down his gait a little, giving me a broad grin, an adorned look of worship on his face, and an exuberant wave, before picking up his pace, heading for his class. I've been out with him a couple of times. Nothing serious, just a little male companionship. He wanted to take it a step further, but I wasn't willing to go there yet. I never knew when I would have to pick up and leave at a moments notice. I didn't want to be tied down, nor lead on a guy as good as he was. And besides, as far as I was concerned there was no other man who could fill Dimitri's shoes in my life. No one even close.

I heard the house's doorknob turn, and I knew someone was up and about. We had an early night the night before, so my roommates had gotten plenty of rest. I turned my head a little to see who it was.

Angeline had a glass of orange juice in one of her hands and a pack of smokes in the other. I met Angeline shortly after I moved back to Portland. She was running from her commune in West Virginia, and looking to make a name for herself as a Strigoi hunter. She had a different up-bringing than most dhampirs. She hardly ever talked about it, but one night she got a little tipsy and told me minor things about her life before she had met me. Things about her life while she was growing up. It was a story for the books, at the very least.

Supposedly, there are more Moroi and dhampirs, along with humans, who have their own way of living. They live together in a commune of sorts. A small community cut off from today's society. Secluded and secret. She didn't delve too deep into her past, but I got the gist of it. She was a few years younger than me, but she had a lot of heart. She was born to be a fighter.

"Hey," I said, giving her a faint smile. "Thought you would sleep till noon. You were really slamming down those shots at the bar. Have a hangover?" We went 'hunting' the night before, -with little success. So the girls and I did some drinking. Me, not so much. But the other two got polluted. Ang was almost falling down drunk and Monica wasn't far behind her. I had to be the one to keep her head attached to her shoulder- both literal and figuratively. I was always on my guard. Whether I was out with the girls for a good time, or looking for Tasha. But most importantly, hunting for Strigoi. They just loved big cities like Portland.

Angeline was squinting in the early morning light, and shrugged one shoulder. "Nah, you know me. Party animal through and through. What are you doing up? Couldn't sleep again?" My roomies knew how my sleeping patterns shifted, but didn't dwell on the subject after I _kind of_ went off on Monica -the other girl living with me- when she was prying too hard about what was wrong with me. Prying might be too harsh of a word. Wondering? Trying to help? Anyway, after that night neither of them asked about my life before they joined up with me.

Although, I did tell them about trying to find Tasha. Angeline knew more than Monica. For some reason I knew I could put my faith and trust in her. In a limited way, of course. I didn't, however, fill them in on the why's and why not's of it. And they didn't ask, neither. But every once in a while I needed someone to talk to, and I had that with Angeline. My world was a cold and lonely one. Sometimes you just need a little human, or in my case,- vampire- interaction.

I took a long, slow drag before answering her with a shrug of my own. I looked down and plucked a piece of grass from the bottom of the stair, peeling it piece by piece.

"Rose?" she said quietly. But I wouldn't look at her. "Rose," she repeated softly, but more firm, "we'll find her. don't worry. We'll find that bitch." She put her hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "We'll find her." _Her_, meaning Tasha. That was Angeline for you: She always looked on the bright side of life.

At this point I was about ready to give up all hope that Tasha would ever be found. I thought that was kind of her. Even though we had only known each other for a short time, Ang had my back. She knew I was running from something bad in my past. She didn't care if she went in fist first and asking questions after the threat was eliminated. I thought that was sweet of her. Well, _sweet_, was an operative word for it. She was just too much like me. Though, that could be because I helped her hone her fighting skills. She was pure raw talent when I first met her, and I think she felt she owed me for helping her master her _craft. _She had my back, and therefore, I had hers. Girl code.

I nodded my head, as if to say that I believed in what she had just said. But in reality, I didn't honestly think it would ever happen. "Yeah, right," I mumbled under my breath.

"Hmm?" Angeline asked as she took a seat beside me, lighting a smoke as she did. "What did you say?" she asked around the cigarette in her mouth.

"Nothing," I said. I decided it was time for a topic change. I didn't want to dwell on this subject. This was a touchy one and both of my roommates knew it. They knew my moods well enough not to push when I didn't want them to. Which was almost always.

Angeline was one of the most perceptive people I had ever met. She knew there was a man involved. I had, evidently, in one of the rare times I let my guard down and slept, called his name out loud. Angeline called me on it the next morning.

She gave me a sideways glance. I don't think she liked the look my face portrayed. "Wanna talk about it?" She brought the glass of orange juice to her mouth and took a big swig, spilling some on her shirt as she did.

"Dammit!" she swore. "I just bought this shirt. That is going to be a real bitch to get out!" She jumped to her feet, wrenching the door open, hurrying inside.

Saved by the juice. _Comical._

I lit another smoke, taking a long deep pull, before exhaling in a loud huff. I just sat there having a pity party for myself. I wish someone would've brought a cake for it. It would have completed my mood.

My life was not suppose to turn out like this. I was suppose to be Lissa's guardian. I was suppose to be with Dimitri. "Ha!" I said aloud, with a harsh laugh.

I heard the door squeak open once again, expecting it to be Angeline. But no, it was Monica coming out the door. She yawned loudly, covering her mouth with the back of her hand, and stretched like a cat.

I turned back around, gazing at the street and sidewalks with all of the young people heading to class. If only that was my biggest problems. Waking up early. Making it to class on time. Homework. Such trivial things in life. Something I would love to be the most concerned with. How I envied all of them.

"Morning," Monica said, sitting down beside me. She didn't smoke, but she did drink a lot of caffeine. I mean _a lot. _I turned my head a little so I could get a better look at her. Yep, she had a coke in one of her hands. I felt a wry smile light on my lips.

Monica was a good person, although, she was very naive. But a good person nonetheless. She was a few years older than me. Twenty-four. She didn't want to be a guardian. She didn't want to fight Strigoi, either. She wanted to make her way in the human world. Human job. Human husband. But for now, she was happy with Ang and me. Eventually, she told me, she wanted to find a man and settle down, even though she wouldn't be able to have children with him, that still didn't bother her.

"Morning. Sleep good?" I asked, stamping out my smoke and throwing it in the little garbage can to my right.

She stifled another yawn. "Yep, like a baby." She followed my gaze. "If only," she remarked wistfully. We both were thinking along the same lines, apparently. She too was on the run from something. And she told us the whole story, too. Her mom thought she should do the right thing and have a child with a Moroi. You know, carry on the dhampir genes and all that. Or at the very least: become a Guardian. She told us the whole sordid story. That was the thing with Monica. She was a little too talkative. I guess that's why Angeline and I clicked so well. We both were moody, running from something, and enjoyed a good fight.

I took a deep breath, nodding my agreement. She knew me well enough to know what I was thinking. Trivial things.

"Hey," she said suddenly, "would you want to go to the mall with me? I need to pick out a dress. I have a date tonight." From the way she said it, someone who didn't know her wouldn't think she was very enthused about it. But I on the other hand, knew she was reeling from the prospect.

"Sure, I have nothing better planned. I was just gonna sit here till night fall. You know, wait to head out for the clubs." Abe had set me up with a lot of money, and added to it every month. So therefore, I didn't have to get a day job. I wouldn't have had the time for one, anyway. I couldn't risk being out in public enough to be recognized. Plus I never knew when I would have to split at a moments notice.

I hadn't talked to my dad, nor my mother, since that fateful phone call at the hospital. But he told me then that he would always have me set up with money. He had a bank account set up for me under a false name of course, and deposited money on a regular basis. Not that I needed as much money that he was depositing -which was quite a lot. He also told me if I wanted to turn myself in, he would be right there with me when the time came. As did my mother. Yeah, now they step up as concerned parents. Took a killing to get them to hone their parenting skills. Better late then never, I guess.

I stood up and stretched. "What time do you want to leave?"

Monica looked up at me, squinting in the early morning sun. "Whenever you're ready."

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We made it to the mall around lunch time. It wasn't easy trying to find a place to park. We were in Monica's car, since Angeline nor I had one. She drove around for ten minutes just trying to find a spot. Which, by the way, was really annoying. Couldn't we just walk? It's not like we couldn't easily walk the length of the parking lot. We were dhampirs. Young, strong, and vibrant.

We were just about to reach the door of the mall when I heard someone call my name.

"_Rose?"_

Sure, I've heard it before, but rarely was it anyone other than the two women I was walking with who'd call it out. And I knew it wasn't either one of them being that they were walking right along side of me. I knew then that this was not a good thing. I didn't turn my head to find who had called it out like Monica and Angeline did. Didn't give the slightest indication that I even heard.

No. I just picked up my pace and scurried through the door. For some unknown reason, I knew that whoever who had call my name meant me, not someone else with the same name. And that voice sounded oddly familiar to me. I couldn't put a name to it. But I knew I knew that voice. And that scared the crap out of me. My heart was racing and my hands shook violently. I wanted an out. And I was going to find one, one way or another, even if it killed me. And it very well may.

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_**Hope you guys like it!**_

_**~~~Much love,**_

_**~Carmen**_


	25. Chapter 24 Cab Ride

_**Whoo hoo! Two chapters in one week! You guys must be special!**_

_**I have sooo many things running through my mind, and I've re-done my outline a little.**_

_**But I know you guys are gonna like what I've came up with. I hope!**_

_**Anyway, happy reading!**_

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen**_

_**~I own nothing but the plot~**_

* * *

I rocketed inside the mall without one backward glance. I didn't panic. I had already devised a scenario with Angeline and Monica for this very thing if it were ever to happen. They didn't question my motives. Like I said: all three of us were running from something in our past.

We were to meet up at the house should one of us run into trouble. I knew my girls were stalling whomever it was that had called my name. They were, after all, _my girls. _That was something none of us took too lightly. If it had happen to one of them I would've done the same thing that they were doing for me.

I walked at a brisk pace, heading for the opposite side of the mall from where I first entered from. I went out the Sear's door and hailed a cab. Once I was safely inside the cab and it was moving, I finally took a deep breath and relaxed.

I didn't know who it was that had called my name, but the girls had instructions to have a picture of the person with the camera on their phone. That way we knew exactly who we were running from. I, personally, thought it was a great plan. I nestled back into the plush cab seat, closing my eyes, trying to figure out my next course of action. Now that I was safely away from the threat, I was able to clear my head and try to put a face to the voice. It was one I knew, but yet at the same time, I knew it was one I was only vaguely familiar with.

"Ma'am?" I opened my eyes when the cabbie spoke, scaring the hell out of me; I was lost in my own little world. He was looking at me through the rearview mirror. He had a thick Spanish accent. He was cute, dark haired with a baby face.

I took one more breath before I acknowledged him, slowly exhaling. "Yeah?"

He put his eyes back on the road before him, almost slamming the brakes too hard as a car cut him off. "Where to? You just told me to go, but you didn't say where to."

"Oh," I didn't remember that. I guess my adrenaline was just pumping too hard, blocking out everything else except just getting the hell out of there. "Just drive around for a while. If you don't mind?" I did not want to go home until I got the call from one of the girls. That was another part of our plan: Wait for the phone call that said it was all clear. Not to go home before then.

The cabbie shrugged his shoulders and headed for downtown Portland.

I really, I mean _really,_ needed a cigarette. By the time this was over and done with my lungs were going to be as black as tar. If only Adrian could see me now. Isn't karma a real bitch? He would be giving me ten kinds of hell. This stress crap was really getting to me.

"Mind if I smoke?" I knew that that wasn't allowed in most cabs, but I took my chances. Cant hurt to ask. Right?

He glanced at me once again in the mirror with a smile set upon his lips. "Only if I can?" He laughed and grinned at me.

"By all means. " We both lit one and cracked our windows a little. "Hey, can you turn on the radio for me, please? It doesn't matter what kind of music." I thought about that for a moment, then corrected myself, "Anything except country or 80's music." Running from memories. Always running.

He nodded his head and turned the radio to some rock station. I didn't want the cab to be quiet when I left the here and now for Lissa's head. I didn't want the cabbie to think I was delusional if I just said something random out of the blue; I wanted some noise to cover me. Better safe then sorry.

I sat back and closed my eyes once more. The moment I had a little nicotine in me I started pondering what had just happened. That was the first time anything like that had happened and I didn't like being that close to caught. No, that was a close one. What would have happened if Angeline and Monica hadn't been with me running interference.

That frickin' voice just sounded so familiar, but I'd be damn if I could place it. That was frustrating, to say the least. I did something next that I hadn't done in a long time. Well, not of my own accord, anyway. I opened myself up to Lissa. It wasn't hard. Just like riding a bike. Something you just don't forget. Ever. Channeling her was like looking in a mirror. She would always be a part of me.

I wanted to know if it was someone she had sent to find me, or if it was just some kind of coincidence. Right place, wrong time thing.

Lissa was sitting in a parlor of sorts. She was behind a bid mahogany desk with a stack of papers sitting in front of her. I peeked around her brain, searching to see if she had sent someone to Portland for me. I couldn't pick up on anything really significant pertaining to me. Well, other than her normal search parties looking for me. But I didn't pick out Portland anywhere in there.

She was alone in the room aside from her one lone guard standing against the wall. There was a knock on the door. She lifted her head and hit the button for the intercom that would let the visitor in. She told the person to come in, and when the door opened my blood ran cold.

Dimitri was standing there. He walked in, closing the door behind him. I hadn't seen him, even through Lissa, in a long, long time. He had more pronounced features etched on his face. There were the little things only I could pick out. His skin looked more weathered then I remembered. He still carried himself with that smooth grace only he could pull off with that large of a frame. His hair was a little lighter and longer than the last time I ran my fingers through it. But the worst of his features were the eyes. His eyes were wounded. Hurt beyond repair. But if the first sight of him made my blood run cold, the next thing I noticed sent icicles coursing through my veins.

There was a plain gold band wrapped around the third finger on his left hand. My breath hitched in my throat. Pain. So much pain.

I almost yanked myself out of Lissa's head right then. But I didn't. I had to know if it was their people that had almost caught up with me at the mall.

He bowed slightly. "Your Majesty." His voice was smooth and melodic.

Lissa rose from her seated position, straightening her shirt as she stood. She walked the short distance to him, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace. Even if there was nothing intimate about it, I was still jealous, nonetheless. She swatted his shoulder with her hand.

"How many times do I have to tell you to cut that out! It's Lissa, Dimitri. _Lissa._ Nothing else. And if I have to make that an order than so be it." She gave him a warm smile, truly glad that he was here for a visit. She also couldn't wait to start peppering him with questions about me. But she knew it was tacky to start in with them right away.

Dimitri chuckled at the swat on the shoulder and her 'order.' "Lissa. All right then. How ar-"

She interrupted him, "Sit. Let's sit and chat. We sure aren't going to get any taller just standing around. Not that you need to get any taller; neither me for that matter." She laughed softly. On the exterior she was the picture of calm; but on the inside she was a bundle of nerves. She was praying he had some good news for her.

Once they were seated, she turned to the guardian in the room. "Horvov, you can go take a break. Dimitri and I have a few things to discuss," When it looked like Horvov was going to protest, she added, "privately." He looked like he might put up a protest anyway, but being he couldn't argue with the queen, he took his leave quietly, closing the door softly behind him.

Once they were alone, Lissa focused back on Dimitri, who was sitting directly in front of her only three feet away. At that one moment I wished with all my being that it was me in the chair across from Dimitri. That I was the one sitting there so close to him. Smelling his wonderful scent. That was the only time in my life that I really wanted to be Lissa. But I knew, even if I did ever see him again, that we would never be like we once were. We would never be lovers. Friends, maybe, but never a couple. Things had just gone too far for that to ever happen again. He was married now to another, and therefore would never be mine. And with that thought, my chest ached. Not figuratively. No, it ached from trying to catch my breath. After that realization my heart threatened to break right in two.

I felt tears start to stream down my face. Tear by tear tracked my cheeks. I wanted to get the hell out of Lissa's head, but I had to know if this meeting was about me. They had been chatting about the little things while I had finally came to terms with the loss of my love. Then finally Lissa asked the big question.

"Have you found her?" She finally had enough with the chit chat. Giving up all pretences she went right in for the big question. She sounded so hopeful. She was searching Dimitri's eyes, trying to find a clue. But, as usual, he was giving no signs as to what was going on in his head. Good nor bad. His jaw was set tight and his eyes betrayed nothing. Stoic.

Lissa was practically bouncing up and down in her seat, internally praying that he had.

Dimitri lowered his head, setting his gaze upon the floor. He didn't say anything for a few drawn out moments. Lissa wanted to get up and shake the answer right out of him. But she knew the answer. He didn't even have to say it for her to know what it was.

Dimitri cleared his throat and was about to speak, but Lissa spoke for him. "You didn't, did you? You didn't find her." Her voice was small and meek. From the tone you would have never known that she was a grown woman, queen of the Moroi- dhampir people. She sounded like she was ten years old again and had just got scolded by her parent. That just made me feel all the more worse for what I was putting them through.

But I knew the alternative. Maybe it was selfish of me for not returning to court, but I had to find that bitch first and I couldn't do that locked behind some bars. This was personal. I had to find Tasha and render my own kind of justice. Even if I didn't live through it. Even if I never did find her, at least I knew I died trying.

It was then that I had my greatest epiphany. I washed myself of the regrets. I had to take my chance with circumstance. I've got nothing to lose now. How can I when I've already lost everything that ever meant the most to me. So, so long to the regrets. I made my bed now it was time for me to get comfy and lie in it.

It was really and truly time for me to step up and take my life into my own hands. Somehow I had deluded myself that I could go home after finding Tasha and everything would resume as if I had never left. But after just witnessing what I had, there would be no happily ever after for Dimitri and me. I had to prove to myself now that I could make it all on my own. Although he would always own my heart, even my soul, I had to move on. Alone.

I decided then that I couldn't watch any more of the two people I loved the most in this world. I closed myself off from Lissa and returned to my own reality. Just as I was coming back to myself my phone chirped with a text message. It was from Angeline. I opened it and the picture I saw staring back at me, well more like the eyes that were staring back at me, were the same ones I had just seen in Lissa's parlor.

They were that deep chocolate brown. I knew right then that I was busted and I didn't have long to get my shit together and get the hell out of Portland. The Guardians and all of their force's would be gunning for me any time now.

I gave the cabbie my address and told him to step on it.

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_**I know it's short, but do you like it?**_

_**Thank you all for all of your reviews!**_

_**~~Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen**_


	26. Chapter 25 On The Road Again

_**I don't own any part of VA nor it's characters. **_

_**But I do write and play with the characters for the enjoyment of it!**_

_**Hope you like it!**_

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen**_

* * *

I never in a million years would have thought I would see Dimitri's sister again. Especially when I left in the middle of the night after our fight. But that was exactly who it was that called my name. I even have the text message with her face staring back at me to prove it. My mind was reeling. I thought for sure that she would've been on the phone with her brother telling him my exact location as soon as I bolted. Or in the very least, call the Guardian Council and make them aware that I was in Portland. Any minute now I expected the house to be swarming with hundreds of dhampirs. No doubt about it.

But no. When I arrived back at the house there was no one there to greet me except Monica and Angeline. The moment I was through the door I was enveloped into a bear hug. Well, make that two bear hugs. They almost squeezed the life right out of me.

"Damn it, Rose, it's time for you to come clean and cut the shit," Angeline said. "How can we help if you wont tell us just what in the hell you are running from and why!" Her face was bright red. I couldn't tell if she was pissed or still running on the adrenaline from the confrontation with Victoria.

Monica was nodding her agreement behind her. No fair! Two against one! I hate those odds. It never works out well for me. So, instead of fighting with them, and because those two had proven over and over again that we were in this together. I did what I vowed I would never do, seeing as I had been on the lam for well over three years. I broke down and told them the whole sordid story- while I was packing all of my crap of course. Time to jet. Get the hell outta dodge. They were sitting at the edge of my bed; one on each side.

I started at the beginning. Lissa and I running away all the way up to the present. The whole time I was talking, explaining my current position, they sat there nodding in all the right places and grimacing here and there along the tale of my journey.

Finally, I dusted off my hands, put them on my hips, looking them eye to eye and said, "You guys just don't know what you have done for me. There is no way I could ever repay the dept I owe you for your friendship and camaraderie." I felt tears stinging my eyes so I hastily turned from them, discreetly wiping at my eyes. I felt an arm envelope me from behind, holding me tightly to her. Angeline had wrapped me into a hug.

"Rose," she started. "You did those for me as well. You don't owe me a damn thing." I turned around, remaining in her tight vice. For once in my life I finally let my guard down. I started crying loud, hiccupping sobs. I cried for the life I should have had. For the love I should never have lost. For the friend of my childhood, Lissa. For all the years I lost with my mom and dad. I cried for it all. But more importantly, I cried for Dimitri. The other half of my soul.

When I was all cried out, I released Angeline, only to notice that she and Monica were crying with me. They were crying over their lost lives as well. When we finally were able to pull it together, we had a good laugh about all of it.

The girls went downstairs to fix something for supper. I, on the other hand, kept packing. I knew I couldn't take all of my belongings with me. I decided to divide it between the girls that kept me together for three whole years. Not that it was much, of course. Or even something worth keeping, but hey, it didn't have to be expensive to be important. Or sentimental.

When I was done packing, I grabbed my two bags and headed downstairs. But before I did, I took one last look around the room that I had called home for so long. With a sigh, I closed the door and climbed down the stairs. Angeline was headed toward the stairs, presumably to come get me for dinner. She came to a screeching halt when she saw that I was holding my luggage. I dropped it by the front door and turned to face her.

Her brows furrowed and a frown appeared on her face. "Rose? You're leaving?" Her tone was not as surprised as I thought it would be. But then again on the other hand, she should've known that I would jet as soon as possible. It's not like we didn't see this coming from a mile away.

I took a step toward her, nodding my head. "Yep, I cant take the chance, Ang. I have been seen in the area, and I know Victoria contacted either the council or _her brother._" I took another step toward her, pulling her into a hug. When I released her, her eyes were determined.

"I coming with," she pronounced. "It wont take me long to pack. I prom-" I cut her off, shaking my head.

"No, Ang, you can't come with me. That is why I left them in the first place. People tend to get hurt or in trouble just being in my presence. So no, you aren't."

Her mouth was set in a thin line, with hands on her hips, "I am and there is no way of talking me out of it. I know the risk, and I can take care of myself. Thank you very much." She breezed past me, climbing the stairs two at a time. She was gone before I could put up any other protest.

I sighed loudly, knowing that there was no way out of this. I hadn't noticed that Monica was standing in the kitchen doorway, propped up against the frame. She too, had a determined look in her eyes.

I held up my hand, shaking my head to let her know that she was definitely not tagging along.

"Please, Monica, don't you start in about wanting to come along too. Angeline is just too stubborn for her own good."

Monica smiled at me, laughed softly before saying, "I wasn't planning on it, Rose. I don't want that kind of life. You know that. I want to settle down and find a husband. You know, the whole American dream, and all that. Maybe adopt a child or two."

She crossed the room, standing only a few inches from me. She reached out and grabbed me, pulling me into a tight embrace. "I wish you all the best, Rose. If anyone is a survivor, it's you. You are the strongest individual that I know. Don't get me wrong, I am going to miss you terribly, but you gotta do what you gotta do. You have your own destiny to fulfill. Just like Ang has her own." She paused briefly. "But, I do think the right thing for both of you at the moment is to stick together. You two are like a tornado together, and I would hate to be in that aftermath." She laughed softly again, releasing me from our hug.

I took a step back away from her, with a smile on my face. Tears were spring up in my eyes again. I never thought I would get as close to someone like this again, but I had. And it hurt like hell to leave her behind.

"Alrighty then, I need to hit the road." Just then Angeline came storming down the stairs with two bags of her own.

She gave a us a grin and said, "I'm ready. Let's go!"

And so we did.

* * *

_**Thanks for reading my story!**_

_**~~~Carmen**_


	27. Chapter 26 Situations

_**Hello, my peeps!**_

_**Have you guys been waiting for this chapter?**_

_**Things are going to be heating up for our Rose and Angeline!**_

_**This chapter gives you an in depth look into each of them!**_

_**Happy reading!**_

_**~~~Carmen**_

* * *

It had been three weeks since Angeline and I left Portland. We just roamed as far away from there as possible. Putting distance between Victoria and myself. We took a train down to Port Arthur, Texas. Where it was scorching hot and not much to see. Yeah, not the ideal spot, but I had my reasons for that specific destination.

It was a three day train ride; then another twelve hours spent on a bus. Which, by the way, was very unpleasant. Being on a bus with screaming human children, stinky snoring men, and women that just wouldn't shut the hell up was aggravating, to say the least.

Human women of all ages, color, and creed, sure do like to talk about anything and everything. Gossip in every sense of the word. God gave them the gift to gab that's for sure! One woman with dark black hair with gray spackled here and there around her temples, tried to rope me into a conversation. Wanting to know this and that, and this and that about me. She wanted to know where I was from, to where I was going, and why I was going there. I tried to field her questions as best I could without being out-right rude. Which, in this case, was a lot of self-restraint on my part.

But Angeline, however, had no such reservations. Although I did think it was just a little bit funny how she handled the situation, I tried to keep a straight face while she put the pesky woman in her place. If it hadn't been for Angeline I think I would have strangled the nosy old bat. My patience was wearing mighty thin, and Angeline finally told the old coot to mind her own damn business and leave us the hell alone. I had to choke back a laugh, covering it with a cough.

The woman huffed and puffed, her face shining a bright shade of red, eyes wide, and said, "Well, I never!"

Angeline being Angeline, wrinkled up her face, glaring right back at her with narrowed eyes, and said, "Yeah? Then you never will, either!"

The woman scoffed, bringing her hand to her chest in an offended manner, shifting in her seat. At first the woman was speechless. I guess she wasn't expecting that kind of a retort. Finally after a minute or so she leaned toward her female companion that occupied the seat next to her, shaking her head.

Still scoffing at Angeline and me, saying, "Children these days! No respect for older people! Why dont parents dicipline their children? What is this world coming to?"

They kept on talking on and on about consideration for other people loud enough for us, and almost everyone else on the bus, to hear their thoughts and opinions of how, _'Younger people these days would have never made it in their time when they were kids! They would've gotten the hell beaten out of them if they even looked at an adult crossways.'_

Both women kept giving us glares, but wasn't speaking directly to us. Instead, they just went on and on about '_young people these days.'_

Angeline had a snarky comment for her comeback, but I grabbed her arm, making her face me. Shaking my head, I said, "You've done enough, Ang. It's not worth it. We can't afford any attention to be brought to us. Let her be." I laughed aloud despite myself. She was so much like the old me.

Irony at its finest. Me being the one to bite her tongue. Me being the one to chill someone else out.

"Calm down, girl. She's not worth it." Three years ago that would've been me being made to chill out. And now I was the one calming someone down. I've done a lot of growing up since then.

It took a little more of me convincing her, but eventually she let it go and slept the rest of the ride. I couldn't sleep, but I envied the fact that she call fall alseep so effortlessly. Staring out the bus window, I watched as the cars and trees passed by us in a blur. There was just too much riding on this trip, to this city, for finding this one person, who thus far had eluded me. I had all these thoughts washing around in my brain, therefore, bringing back the insominia that had plagued me for so long.

* * *

When we first arrived we stayed at a hotel for the first couple of weeks before deciding that we should find an apartment. After searching all over the town for one, we squashed that idea, mainly because they were all pieces of crap. We decided just to live in the hotel for now. See if it was even worth us staying here for long. Hopefully that tip we had got would pay off, _soon._

If I would be honest with my self, I was actually getting tired of looking for Tasha. Even though she wasn't, or hadn't been in my life for a few years now, she was still interfering with my happiness. Keeping her as my main focus was putting a strain on my future. It was then, sitting in my hotel room holding a picture of Dimitri and me that was taken at the ski lodge the last Christmas that we spent together, rubbing the pad of my thumb over his face again and again like I would if it had actually been the flesh of his skin, that my greatest epiphany came to me.

I decided right then and there that this was the _last_ trip I would take to look for her. Look for Tasha. Letting her ruin the last three years of my life was enough. I was going to move on whether I caught up with her or not. I was going to find some out of the way place and settle down. Maybe relocate to Mexico, or the Caribbean. Hell, maybe even go back to Russia. Not nowhere near the big cities, or Baia for that matter. Don't get me wrong, I did want to live my own life; but I didn't want to live that life behind bars back at court. Or worse: Tarasov Prison.

I had gotten a lead from some of my "_spies," _well, Abe's henchmen, that Tasha was here in Texas. But Texas was big state for just Angeline and me to conquer on our own. The people that were the ones giving me the tips had been hired by Abe, and they had narrowed down this city with a sighting of Tasha; thus the reason I'm here. Even though I didn't ever meet any of them face to face, I knew they would never double cross my old man.

They knew the consequences of betraying him. They would probably end up with concrete shoes, sitting at the bottom of a river if they ever did. So I guess I was as safe as could be expected. Either way, I had to take my chances. Especially if the psycho was in the area. I wanted to put an end to this chapter of my life, and move on to the next. One where Tasha, Victor, Robert, or anyone else that wanted my demise wasn't in it. I was done. Fed up with living on a prayer of the search for others. They had taken up too much of my time. I just had to face facts and put this to rest. This was it for me. Good or bad. She would, eventually, get what was coming to her.

And that leaves me to the current state of affairs. So far we had had very little luck. And I was just about to give up all hope, until something completely out of the blue caught my attention.

We were sitting on the outside patio at a little café, when suddenly I heard a laugh that I knew all too well. It was a piercing high shrill cackle. One that made my whole insides stiffen. My whole body went rigid, sending me on high alert. The menu that I had in my hands was crushed as my fists gripped the edges. I lifted it closer to my face so I could hide behind it. I wanted to scope out the area and see just where that laugh was coming from.

Angeline noticed my change of demeanor right away, and started to say my name. "Ro-," I cut her off with a swift shake of my head. I didn't want anyone to overhear my name. That would be a _dead_ give-away of my identity if Tasha was anywhere close by. I also kicked her under the table for good measure. "Ow! That hurt! What the hell is wrong with you?"

I lowered my menu just a little, peeking over the top of it so I could see Angeline. "She's here," I whispered, repeating with more emphasis, "_She's here!_ As in: right now! She's here and I can hear her."

Understanding dawned on her face, and she too went to full scale alert.

I had already gave Angeline a description of Tasha, Victor, and Robert. Along with Dimitri. Although Dimitri would be easy to spot in a crowd just by the shear enormous size of him. She knew what to look for, and that was exactly what she started doing. I lifted my menu back to cover my face so it would help hide my identity. I couldn't, however, hide my aura. If Robert were with them, he would be able to spot me from a mile away.

I crossed my fingers and my toes, praying to God that - I hoped would answer my prayers- she wouldn't spot me and that Robert wasn't with them. I wanted to get the drop on her, and if Victor was with her, on him too.

I guess the spies that Abe hired were really doing their job.

"Eleven o'clock. She's got her back to us, red dress, hair in a bun. And there's a man with her." She paused for a moment, crinkling her forehead into wrinkles. Her face screwed up like she smelled something foul. "Well,_ man_, is an subjective word. He's actually a St-"

I already knew what she was about to say. I was already feeling the nausea. "Yeah. I know," I told her. I had to swallow back the bile that was rising in my throat. Our voices were in hushed tones. We knew how well Strigoi hearing was. Even though Moroi hearing wasn't as good as Strigoi, they could hear a lot better than the average person. And with that in its self was enough to keep our voices down. We didn't want them to know that we were on to them.

"Get a picture of him on your camera. Her too. Get as many as you can. Get profile pictures along with close-ups. You do have a zoom on your phone, right?"

She nodded. "Yep, sure do." She got out her phone and, discreetly, started clicking pictures. When she got sufficient enough photos, she asked, "Well, what now? Lay in wait? Or just leave?"

Yeah, that was exactly what I was thinking. This changed the game in a major way. Should we go after them when they leave? Or catch them separately? I had waited for this moment for over three years and finally the time had came. The one who had done all these God awful things was not more than twenty feet away from me. But I couldn't just attack her in front of all these humans. Right?

_Right._

"Let's see if they leave together, and if they do," I thought for a minute. Go after the killing machine Strigoi? Or go after the one I had a vendetta against? In the end there was only one answer that came to me. "We go after her. _But,_ she is _mine_. Do you hear me? _She. Is. Miiiinnnne! _You got my back, right?_" _

Angeline scoffed at the last part, like it was a no brainer. But nodded her head, agreeing that _I _was the one to take Tasha down. It seemed sort of surreal that the time had finally came. Just when I was about to quit the game of searching for her. Kind of like a nightmare had finally turned into a fantasy. The improbable and impossible, had turned into the probable and possible. It felt like heaven was shining down on me.

But there was one question that was weighing down on me.

_What was she doing associating with a Strigoi?_

She didn't look like she was one of them, so why was she with him? When Angeline handed me her phone with the pictures of the Strigoi on it, I knew why she was with him. And it also turned out that I knew exactly who it was. I also had a vendetta against him, too. Victor Dashkov had finally done it. He found a way to beat the sickness that had plagued him for so long. Turning Strigoi freed him from that disease. The next question that shot to my brain was: _Where was his crazy ass brother at? Had he turned also? Or had he remained Moroi so he could return Victor to his Moroi self?_

Now I had a dilemma on my hands. Should I go after Victor and take care of him once and for all? Or go for my original target? They both had been the one to set me up. So which do I take out first? Just because it was Tasha who had done the actual killing, murdering, of the Moroi Queen, along with setting me up, didn't mean Victor was any less guilty than she was. Even if he wasn't the executor, he still had blood on his hands. He was in on the planning, if not the one who _came_ _up _with the plan. Either way, they _both_ caused all of the things that followed in the wake of the aftermath.

Angeline was tapping her fingers on the table, waiting for my answer. Her face was showing just how impatient she really was. I had the eerie feeling of looking at my reflection she portrayed that I would have looked like three years ago. No wonder people were always telling me to think before I leapt. Yes, I remember me.

I had finally achieved the role of being the planner of which course to take. Just like I had seen my mother do on more than one occasion. Yeah, so much for the _'irrational Rose." _

_Oh, dear lord, I was turning into my mother!_ _Fuck my life!_

I had finally learned how to strategize. I had learned patience along my journey. I had became a totally different person than the one that had left her friends and family behind all those years ago. I had matured and came in to myself. I had grown into a woman. A woman that knew when to act, and when to wait it out. It seemed like Angeline had taken over my old persona. She was the one wanting to go in and take care of business, not worrying about the next step, nor the consequences of her own actions.

After a couple of minutes racking my brain, I met her stare.

"Well? What now?" she repeated.

_Indeed. What now?_

* * *

_**xoxoxoxo**_

_**Hey, guys, I really, really hope you liked it.**_

_**Rose has grown up. She is now a mature woman, confidant in her own body.**_

_**How do you all like how she's turned out?**_

_**Well, I hope you leave me a review, letting me know what you all think!**_

_**Much lurve,**_

_**~~~Carmen**_


	28. Chapter 27 Alley's

**Hey guys! Okay, I have a question for all of you….Are y'all just not into this story anymore? I got like a few reviews for last chapter. Is the storyline boring or something? I'm trying to keep all of you into it, but maybe there are just too many like this one out there?**

**Anyway, hope you like it!**

_**Carmen**_

* * *

"You do know the plan, right?" I asked. It looked like Angeline was nervous and excited all at once. We had been over and over the plan. I wanted to make sure nothing went wrong. I made Angeline repeat it back to me a few times just for good measure.

"Hello? Earth to Ang! Come in, Ang," I whispered it, but it sure felt like I was screaming it. With Strigoi hearing I very well could have been. I snapped my fingers in her face. She blinked a couple of times.

"Yes, Ro-" she caught herself and corrected, '_mother._ I know the plan. Now, get your head in the game. Don't worry about me. I got this." She sounded confident, but I could hear her bravado shining through her voice. She was worried. Just like me, she wanted it to go off without a hitch.

I nodded my head once, letting a smile shine through. Even though it was forced, Angeline smiled back at me. "Okay, then," I said. "if they split up, you only follow her. Do not, and I repeat, _Do Not_, let her know if you can help it. Do not engage in hand to hand, either. I'll call you when I have eliminated _him._" I glanced down at her phone that she had in her hand. She was tossing it from hand to hand. "You have a signal, right? You have your stake, too?"

She nodded, adding, "And a full battery. Don't worry about me. You need to take him down. You cant be worrying about me, if you do it could cost you your life. _Now stop it!_" She reached out her hand, grabbed a hold of one of mine and squeezed. "I got the easy job, alright? I'm not the one facing a killer." She stopped right there for a moment, then amended herself, "Well, not one that has to live off of blood, anyway."

I smiled a genuine smile at her, and she did the same back. "I know what you meant, Ang."

I squeezed her hand once more, then let it drop. "Here she comes. Ready? Remember, you don't know her. Not her name, what she is, even though you're a dhampir. Don't act like you even notice her. If she sto-"

"If _anything, _I got this. Now, go. You cant let him get too far ahead of you. Get." She shooed me away from the table. Just in time too. Tasha was about to round the corner when I disappeared on the other side of the building.

Not wanting to jinx anything, I didn't look back. I took off at a light jog. I knew from my Strigoi senses that Victor was way ahead of me. So I picked up my pace a little more. Just when I got a few buildings over from the café, I slowed my gait. My stomach was getting nauseated. I knew what that meant right away.

I ducked down an alley that had a large garbage bin at the end of it. No one was in it, (not the garbage can, the alley ) so I decided to use that as a cover for the moment. I wanted to get my bearings.

I heard a loud, cold laugh. I knew it wasn't from the alley I was in, but it wasn't far away from it, either. I tied my hair in a bun with my holder. Yep, it was show time. Victor wasn't far.

I heard a piercing scream coming from the alley directly across the street from where I was. I could barely discern the shapes, but I could tell there were at least two people in it. I looked both ways before I crossed the street at a jog. Once I reached the building, I pressed my back flat against the wall, poking my head around the corner.

There against the wall, was a human that Victor was drinking his life blood out of. I decided in that moment that I just had to go for it. I got my stake out of my boot, clamping both hands around the hilt, I called from the entry of the alley.

"Victor, fancy meeting you here!" May as well go all out. I had to distract him from the life he was stealing. If I was able to save at least one life with mine, I was willing to do it. No matter the race.

Victor looked up from his meal, eyes smiling back at me when he saw who it was.

"Well, well, well. Rosemarie. As I live and breathe." he chuckled to his self. "Well, not live, nor breathe for that matter. But you know what I mean, don't you, Rose?" He slung the man to the ground. The man moaned softly, but was knocked out cold.

_At least he's not dead,_ I thought. But if I could help it, Victor would be soon enough, though.

Victor had a malicious smile on his face. Cold. Calculating.

"Would you like to dance, Rose?" he sneered.

I tapped one finger to my chin. "Um, yep, come to think of it, I would, Victor," I replied. He took a step in my direction. "But only if you let me lead."

Trying to distract a Strigoi is very, very hard. They expect it all.

"Tsk, tsk, Rose. I am the man, so I should be the one to lead." That was precisely what I would have expected from him. Always the arrogant one.

"I tell you what, if you can catch me, you can lead. Deal?" I asked.

He laugh a big belly laugh, but there was nothing fun about the sound of it. It was plain creepy.

"Oh, I'll catch you. You can bet on that."

I wish I could say that I was not scared at all, but then I would be out right lying to you. I thought Victor the man was crazy. He had nothing on Victor the Strigoi. Nothing at all.

Victor advanced on me in just a couple of strides. Once he reached me, he tried to catch me around the throat. Just like he had held the human. But I was a little quicker than he anticipated. I struck out with my stake and landed a long, deep gash along his jaw. That just enraged him more.

It was on from that moment on. Blow for blow, we matched each other. His a little harder than mine. But I had experience on my side, as to Victor being a relatively new-born monster.

I had an open spot on his heart fifteen minutes into the fight, but when I lifted my hand to push in my stake, he struck out so fast I didn't have time to prepare for it. I caught a back hand across my face, sending me flying into the building directly behind me. My stake landed with a loud clatter a few feet away from me. Once I was down, I tried to scramble to my feet.

Victor was on me in no time. He grabbed me by my face, pulling me to my feet. I tried to kick out so I could land one, but it was futile. He was too close, therefore not letting me land one.

"Hmm, looks like I get to lead after all." He smacked his lips as if he could already taste me. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of having me begging him for my life. No. I would die a noble and final death in silence.

"Rose," he whispered in my ear. "you're not being a very good sport about this. Take it like a woman. I might even let your little friend live. You know, I cou- Oomft!"

We got hit out of no where. One minute I was against the wall with Victor holding me by the face, and the next, I'm on the ground with Victor sprawled on top of me.

I didn't question it, though. I'll take it any way I can get it. I reached out, grabbing my stake that was laying by my head, and shoved it deep inside his chest as hard as I could.

It only took one good shove, then his eyes were staring blankly skyward. I sat back on my haunches, taking deep breaths. I closed my eyes for a moment, brushing my stray hair out of my face.

Now that I had time to think about it, I finally remembered the shove that hit us.

There was a woman standing at the end of the alley. One I had never seen in my life. I got up, brushed my knees off.

"Thanks," I choked out. I looked at the woman a little closer. My eyes went wide when I realized she was a dhampir. She took a few steps toward me, a small smile on her face.

"You're welcome." She stuck out her hand to me. "Nicca." She had an accent I would reconize anywhere.

Russian.

She was a couple of inchs shorter than me, with long dark hair. I couldnt tell the color because there wasn't enough light. But she was very pretty. She might have been in her mid twenties, if that.

I smiled at her in turn. I wiped my hands on my jeans again, then stuck my hand out, too. "Rose." We shook hands. "Nice save. I thought I was a goner for sure."

She released my hand, bringing hers back to her side. "I would've been here sooner, but I couldn't get out of the café soon enough."

I looked at her like she was stupid. _Café? She was at the café? I didn't see her there._

I hid my confusion and smiled at her again. "I'm glad you did. I would've been done for if you had been a minute longer." I started making my way out of the alley, when she called out to me.

"Rose?" I turned around to face her. "What about him?" She jacked her thumb over to Victor.

"Well, short of burying him, I don't know what to do with him."

This made her laugh and shake her head. "I have a potion from the Alchemist. Sydney gave them to me that last time I was at court." This caused me to stiffen.

_She knew Sydney? And she goes to court? Oh shit, this could be bad. Very, very bad._

She must've saw my alarm, 'cause she said, "Don't worry. I know who you are and you're safe. I'm not going to turn you in."

It was time for me to take my leave.

I thanked her again and headed back to the mouth of the alley. At the end of it, I paused and turned around to face her again. My brows furrowed again.

"Um, not that I'm not grateful or anything. But how did you know who I am?"

She laughed softly. "Anyone who is anyone would know who you were, Rose. And, by the way, Lissa misses you."

This just confused me farther. _She knows Lissa? Who in the hell was this super hero?_

I almost asked her, but decided to just leave well enough alone. I wanted to collect Angeline. Get Tasha. Then get the hell out of Texas. In that order.

Just when I reached the opening to the alley, I pulled out my phone and called Angeline.

I dialed. It rang a few times then went to voicemail. So I dialed again, and it went to voicemail again. Angeline wasn't picking up.

_Very, very, very bad._

* * *

_**I'm not satisfied with this chapter, but it's better then nothing, right?**_

_**~~Carmen**_


	29. Chapter 28 Footfalls

_**Hey, guys! I thought I would give y'all a treat and post this up tonight! I had some spare time and did this one rather quickly.**_

_**I know all of you want the gang in the picture. Just give me a little time! They're coming! I promise!**_

_**I hope I don't let any of you down with this chapter. I wanted to catch Rose's reaction just right with this little meeting. I hope I did her justice!**_

_**Anyway, happy reading!**_

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen**_

* * *

On my third attempt of calling Angeline, she finally answered. I was about to have a panic attack in those few minutes between calls. I thought for sure something awful had happen to her. But no, not awful in the most horrible way that I was imagining.

She wasn't attacked by a Strigoi. Tasha hadn't got her hands on her. She wasn't in one of the alleys dying somewhere. She didn't fall down and bash her head on a curb. There were too many things that had ran though my head in a short amount of time to keep track of. Horrible things that included blood and guts. And death.

But this, this was something way more close to home for me.

"Rose," she said in a very controlled, tight voice. A voice that I had never heard come from her mouth before. "There's a little situation." I started to demand what it was, but she continued on before I could utter the words. "Um, meet me back at the café?"

I was nodding my head even though she couldn't see me through the phone line. "Okay," I said, drawing out the word. It seemed to hang over me like a dark cloud. Something in my gut clinched. I had to lean against the building and bend over a little so I could compose myself. My hands started to tremble a little. I knew something had happened. Something in a major way. I just didn't know exactly what it was yet.

I had to ask one question, though. Well, two questions. "Ang, do you have Tasha? And are you alright?" I all but whispered the words. I had a maternal feeling towards Angeline. Or it could have been a big sister thing, because of course, I was way too young to be her mother. We had been _P.I.C.'s_ for a very long time. I couldn't live with myself if something had happened to her. It would've been my fault. She was doing this for me. Putting herself in situations like this for me. She trusted me. Believed in me.

I noticed that the woman in the alley, Nicca, was approaching me. She stopped only a few feet away, keeping her arms at her sides. She had already sheathed the stake that she had had in her hands only moments ago.

I didn't turn to face her, but I did keep her in my periphery vision. Something fishy was starting to plant itself in my head. I wanted to keep an eye on her. I should've known a random dhampir wasn't here just for the joy of it. And then help me out when I was in a dire situation. She had a reason for this location; just like I did.

_Could she be with one of Lissa's "Drag Rose Back To Court" parties?_ That thought just made me start to panic even worse.

_Damn it! What was I thinking? Trusting a total stranger? A stranger that knew my friends? How had I over looked a _dhampir_ being at the café?_ I was waging an internal battle within. I took a moment to bash myself. Yeah, I deserved way more than that, but I didn't have a boot handy so I could kick my own ass with it.

Pulling myself back together, I stood up straight and started heading toward Angeline and my rendezvous point. I really wanted to bolt, but I couldn't leave without Angeline. Or Tasha, for that matter. I had finally found her, and I'd be damn if I lost her again. I didn't want to have to start the search all over again if I could even remotely help it.

Nicca kept pace with me. I proceeded to ignore her, although something was telling me that there was more to her presence than just a coincidence. She just didn't happen upon the '_right place, right time,_ thing.

_Should I slip into Lissa's head to see if this was one of her people? Of course this was one of hers! She knew her! Damn it!_

Clearing my head, I tuned back into Angeline. "What is going on? What happen? Do you have her?"

I heard her suck in a breath, then let it out in a loud whoosh. She hesitated a little. "Um, yeah, sort of. Tasha is contained for the moment." She really didn't sound like she wanted to tell me that.

_Contained? What the hell is that about? Contained by who?_

She started to say something else, but I cut her off, "I'll be there in a minute. Don't go anywhere!" I closed my phone and stuffed it in my pocket. Well, I guess it really was about to go down. I knew it was coming, but I didn't think it would happen like this.

I took two more steps, then abruptly stopped. I spun around on my heel, rounding on Nicca. I wanted an explanation from her. And I wanted it now. I folded my arms over my chest, reverting back to my inner protective stance. I rocked back on my hip.

There was a fire, one that felt vaguely familiar, starting to burn in my chest. I wanted to calm it down before it made it to my soul. I really did not want to fight this woman. One who had just saved my life. But, however, I would if I had to. I would not hesitate in the least little bit. Before the hitting got under way I wanted answers. I had learned how to stop my action before I just went off the handle. Some things come with age. Control.

"Just who in the hell are you? And why are you following me?" My temper was about to get the best of me. I felt my nostrils flare and my eyes narrow.

She squirmed a little under my stare, but didn't answer me right away. She did take a step back, though.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes for a moment. Just a moment. Trying to calm myself further. I had to keep a rational head about me. If she wanted to drag me back to court she could have just waited and got the jump on me. But she didn't. She helped me instead. Opening my eyes, I blew my breath out.

She held up her hands in front of her, trying to ward me off. She shook her head slowly. "Rose," she said hesitantly. "It will all be explained to you in a few minutes. It's not what you think."

That just made my temper flare back up again. I may have _grown up _a bit, but that didn't mean I liked being in the dark. Especially when I was a major factor in the equation.

"The hell it will. What do you want? And just who are you?" I was already preparing for a fight. I had, evidently, got into a fighting stance.

She shook her head sharply, peering over my head at something that had drew her attention. If she really thought I was dumb enough to fall for that trick, she was sadly mistaken. I had pulled every trick in the book. I knew them on a first name basis.

I heard a foot fall directly behind me, and Nicca shook her head.

Then that's when he spoke from behind me. It was said very softly, but it had the same effect on me had it been screamed right into the depth of my soul.

"Rose," said the voice. He didn't say anything else. Just the single word. But that one word held so much power over me. Brought out so many emotions that I had not faced in a long, long time.

That voice was the ghost that hid in my dreams. I mean, when I _do_ sleep and dream. He was the ghost that hid in my the night day, and every in between.

So many things rushed from my memories. His laugh. His scent. His arms around me. His voice saying my name. His eyes...oh his eyes. They could melt me when I looked in them.

Butterflies erupted in my stomach immediately. My hands got clammy. My heart felt like it was going to bust right out of my chest. I felt dizzy for one brief moment. I thought I would pass out right there. I had to rein in my emotions before I could face him. I was falling to pieces right in front of him. I swayed a little on my feet, but I was able to put it in check before anyone noticed it.

Well, I think Nicca noticed, 'cause she took a step forward. I think she was thinking she might have to catch me if I keel over. She gave me a look of sympathy. Or it could've been pity? Either way, I didnt like it at all.

I didn't turn around right away. I could barely breath.

My heart was breaking all over again. It didn't break even remotely close the last time I saw him as it did on this night. The best part of me was always him. Him and Lissa. They were the best things that I had in my life once upon a time. And now I didnt have either one of them. Lissa would hate me for abandoning her again. And Dimitri...Dimitri was with someone else.

Alone.

Well, I had Angeline. I knew I had made it this way, but it was still hard to face.

I just closed my eyes, shoulders slumping, admitting defeat. There was no way out of this one. I couldn't run from him this time like I did the last time. He wasn't limited to a bed, nor all doped up in a hospital. This time he could give chase. And I would lay a bet that he could still beat me at running. The agony of defeat.

Yep, he could catch me alright.

That's when it finally came to me. I was a little slow on the up-take.

_Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! _I felt like banging my palm against my forehead.

A _Duh! _moment.

I finally had an idea just who this woman was. Why she was the one chosen to follow me. I didn't know her. Of course that's because I had never saw her in real life, nor in Lissa's head. This was Dimitri's girlfriend? Wife? Whatever. She put him first by going on his little excursions; while I had ran off on my own. Ran off while he was in the hospital. Left him after I told him we would be side by side forever. Three years makes a big difference. I should know.

I could play it cool. I would not let him have the effect on me like he used to. Let me re-phrase that... I would not let him _see _the effect he still had on me. Not anymore.

I heard a foot fall directly behind me, and Nicca shook her head again.

It was Dimitri taking a step toward me. I could tell because I could now smell him. Nicca was looking over my head still, not saying a word. But she didnt have to. Her eyes said it all. They were relaying messages to each other just like him and I could. Like we use to, anyway.

My eyes fell to the ground. I didn't want to witness this intimate look between them. I so did not want to do that.

* * *

_**I know, I know! I left you on a cliffy, but my son is going to church camp in the A.M. and I will have all wee**__**k to write! You guys might just get another update tomorrow! That is, if I get enough good reviews!**_

_**Haha! Just joking. I will update anyway!**_

_**~~~Carmen**_


	30. Chapter 29 Dimitri

_**Here ya go, my friends!**_

_**Happy reading!**_

_**I own nothing but the plot!**_

**_~~~Carmen_**

* * *

Broken dreams. That's the only way I could classify the way I was feeling in that one moment in time. All the things of my past were rushing to the forefront of my mind.

Dreams of Dimitri and I. Dreams of me being Lissa's Guardian. Dreams of me being free of all the regrets and mistakes of my past. All of those things seemed light years away. Things I just couldn't reach no matter how hard I tried.

But my past had caught up and captured me. I was a in a prison of my own making. A prison of my mind.

I shook myself mentally, and put on a cool façade. Nicca was still staring at me. It looked as if she was urging me forward. Urging me to do the right thing and face Dimitri.

And so that's what I did. I took a deep breath, exhaled, then turned around. I may have seen him through Lissa's eye, but that was nothing compared to meeting him stare for stare in person. His intense gaze felt like fire burning me wherever it struck. A fire I couldn't put out.

He still had on that old, dirty looking duster. Same liquid brown eyes I could melt into. Same soft, brown hair that I had ran my hands through time and time again -even though it was a little longer than it had been the last time I had done so.

The sight of him made me inhale sharply, even though I had already prepared myself beforehand of what I would be facing. I originally wanted to come off cool and casual. But I ended up looking sad and desperate. Something I chastised myself for.

I didn't want him to see me that vulnerable. Pride was all I had left. That and responsibility. Everyone makes their own destiny. I had chose my destiny, and that was to find Tasha and bringing her to justice. Right was right; wrong was wrong. No in between. Black and white; no gray. That's what I had come to live by. I had learned a lot in my last three years on the run.

I had a lot of adrenaline coursing through my veins. A true adrenaline rush. I may have _thought_ I had one before, but that was childs play compared to this one.

I was wondering just how this would end. _No fears, Rose! Now's the time. Do or die. Get back up; don't fall in front of him, or you would lose it all. Only the strong survive. Take no prisoner's. _I tried to walk the line, but I failed miserably.

I squared my shoulders -again- preparing to speak. But he did so first.

"Rose," he breathed. The sound of him speaking my name caused shivers to rush down my spine. My heart was beating rapidly causing me to take a deep breath. Something I was not proud to admit. I wanted to look strong. At least strong enough to take on him. From the look he was giving me, he was weaker than what I was. That just made my heart hurt all the worse. The shit I had put him through, I just couldn't make up to him. So the best thing was to stay away. He had someone in his life that cared for him, and I would be damned if I would come between them.

I saw the pain in his eyes. I tried not to linger there too long, but I just couldn't help it, though. It was like I was hypnotized. The longer I looked, the more I couldn't look away.

He was the one who broke eye contact first, but not for long. He looked over my head to Nicca quickly, then focused back on me. "I got it from here. You can go sit with Angeline. We'll be there in a few minutes."

Nicca stepped to my side, stopping briefly to give my shoulder a squeeze. _What the hell? Why would she want to give me the courage that, evidently from her action, I lacked? She was with him. His girlfriend/whatever, and she wanted him and I to do this? Really? _

That just didn't make a damn bit of sense to me. Usually women were territorial over their men. Maybe she wasn't as narrow minded as that? Not the jealous type? She would've been the first woman that I would've met that was like that. If that was the case. She proceeded to walk back to the café without a word or a backward glance, giving Dimitri a swift nod of the head while passing him. He nodded back, but didnt look at her. No, he kept his eyes trained on me as if I would vanish if he looked away. And for a moment, I actually did want to vanish. But then, another part of me almost wanted to get this over with. Almost, but not quite.

When she was out of sight and hearing range, Dimitri took a step toward me. I automatically took two back. I thought it best that we, or rather _I, _kept my distance from him. I didn't want to fling myself into his arms like I really wanted to.

Hurt flashed through his eyes, but it was gone just as quickly as it came.

"Rose," he said, voice stiff. "why?" Only two words. But those words spoke volumes. A simple sentence constructed of two words. I knew what he was really asking: _Why did I leave him? Abandon him in the hospital?_

I didn't want to go there. Not yet.

I sighed loudly, shaking my head. "Not here, Dimitri." His name felt foreign to my lips. I hadn't utter it since when I told Monica and Angeline about him. I didn't ever have to repeat his name, they knew who I was talking about when I said '_him'_. "I will not go through this right now with you. Not right now."

I knew I was just stalling, and I knew I owed him an explanation. An apology even. But I refused to do this right now.I knew I would have to eventually, but not right this minute. I had lived with all the guilt and shame for over three years; holding on to it for a little while longer wouldn't kill me. I hoped.

His face changed to a closed off expression. One I couldn't read.

"Alright, then." he said coldly. "Fine. But you will ha-"

"I know. Not here. Not now." We both stood there staring each other down. Neither one of us breaking our gaze. I would not back down. Not yet. I was going to stand my ground firmly. I would do it in my own time; on my own terms. Even though that sounded selfish of me, but really I didn't want to hurt him any more than I already had. So that conversation would just have to wait.

"Let me guess. You have Tasha? '_Contained?_'" The conversation with Angeline came rushing back to me. I had already worked it out in my head the moment I heard Dimitri's voice standing behind me. "You caught up with us, and came to the rescue of two _girls?_ Right?"

I didn't mean to come off so harsh, but I was trying to put distance, both physically and emotionally, between us. So I relied on my anger to get me through it. Channeling anger was a hell of lot better than feeling emotional pain.

At least it was for me.

His eyes hardened, and his back stiffened at my words. "No, we didn't come to your _'rescue' _as you put it." It looked like he was using the same tactic as me: channeling anger as well. "_We _were following our leads. The same as you. Abe's not the only one with spies. We happened upon you at the café; only you didn't see us."

That stung a little. It felt like he was disappointed in me for _not_ seeing them. And of course that was a blow to my guardian training. I should have saw them, but I was so wrapped up in Tasha and Victor that I wasn't looking for anyone else. Like I should've been.

"So what now? Are you going to force me to go back to court? To prison? See me in a cell for God knows how long? Is that what you want?" There was menace in my voice, but I didn't care by this point. It was cruel of me to play dirty, but I was still a woman after all, and women relied on all their charms. Cruel or no. Cheap shots, or low blows.

Besides, I wanted it all laid out on the table. Right here; right now. I had to know his motives. No free and easy for me in my future.

_As if there ever had been! _A voice whispered in my head.

He took a deep breath, shoulders slumping slightly. He looked like the one who had been defeated. The weight of the world on his shoulders like Atlas. He was carrying the look that was on me only minutes ago. His eyes slid to the side walk to the side of us for a few moments, then met my eyes again.

"No, Roza, I'm not bringing you back." My soul soared at the nickname, but I kept my composure. Well, as best I could. Dimitri always noticed the little changes in me. Good, or bad. "That's your decision, and yours alone. I wouldn't do that to you. I wouldn't make that for you-" We both heard the unspoken rest of the sentence: _Like you did for me when you left me in that hospital bed. I didn't get a say in the matter; you made the choice for me. _

It seemed like an eternity before he spoke again, voice sounding ragged, like he was conceding in a fight that had dragged out way too long.

"But I am taking Tasha back so she can be punished for her crimes." I knew that was a feat in itself. He and Tasha had been good friends for a long time. I couldn't imagine all the emotions that were churning within him.

Neither one of us said anything for a few moments. We just stood there, all facades aside, just staring at one another. I saw how broken he was, and there was no doubt he saw how broken I was without him. My better half; my voice of reason.

_He sighed wistfully; my heart leapt._

"_Goodbye, Rose."_

I was staring at the mess I made as he turned and took my heart with him. I couldn't feel it beating in my chest as he walked away from me. Whether he knew it or not, my heart and soul would always belong to him.

My reason to live all wrapped up in a six foot seven frame with dark eyes, soft hair, and a cowboy duster leaving my life for the second time. Be it his choice or mine, the outcome was the same.

It was then that I knew I would be living locked up in a prison, be it at court, or in my own head, if I didn't follow him back to court. I had a lot of unfinished business, and I was not one to leave sleeping dogs lie. It was time to shake things up a bit.

The old Rose was gone. It was time for everyone to meet the new one. A meeting that was long overdue.

"_Hey, Dimitri! Wait up!"_

* * *

_Hope you like it; even though I know I'm going to get a lot of grief from you guys!_

_Much love,_

_~~~Carmen_


	31. Chapter 30 Forgotten Thing

**Hey, guys!**

**I have been wanting to write this chapter for soooo long, and I finally got to it! I have all of my chapters planned out ahead of time. I know some of you were getting annoyed with me, but I told you I was getting to the good part. I want all of you to take in everything in my chapters, because what's in them means something. I'm just not going to spell it out for all of you! You will just have to keep reading -and reviewing- to find out what is going to happen!**

**I didn't get many reviews for the last few chapters, so I expect you to fulfill my goal and get me at least 20 or more reviews before I post again! Hahaha! I have never gave you guys a quota before, but I just want to know how many of you are appreciating my story!**

**I know, you hate me, right?**

**But I love all of you!**

**Happy reading!**

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen**_

* * *

I wish I would've been drunk. At least if I'd've been drunk, I wouldn't have been feeling all of these mixed emotions.

Lost. Sad. Nostalgic. Anxious. Pissed. Happy. Pain. But most importantly: Ready to bolt.

That would've been my only cure, I would've thought. That, or a valium. What do they say? Life sucks, then you die? I certainly wished I would've died -again- right then and there.

Angeline and I rode to the air strip not that far away with a renegade guardian, that evidently Dimitri had found some where along his journey to find me, and a Moroi. It didn't take long for the Royal Court to have a jet waiting for us once they found out that Tasha had been caught. And captured.

_And that I was coming in with her. _

I could see them waiting on the tarmac for me with an orange jumpsuit and flex-cuffs and the entire guardian regiment that they had available. Which was probably an impressive number. That just kept popping into my mind. Over and over the scene ran through my head.

I didn't tune into Lissa's emotion's or feelings for a reason. I just didn't want to have to deal with that drama till the time came and we were face to face.

I found out later that the Moroi assisting Dimitri was a Spirit user. He had, I assumed, thought the same as Lissa had: If I had been turned into a Strigoi and he did catch up with me, he would be able to return my soul to my body.

I snorted aloud at the thought, and Angeline looked over at me, giving me a questioning look. I shook my head at her and she just shrugged, turning to peer out the window of the SUV again.

_How could my soul be any where else except with him?_ Heart, -maybe not body- and soul. He would always carry them with him, whether he knew it or not. I had wondered if he ever thought the same as me at one time or another?

I had learned that I was being _kept_ away from Tasha for a very good reason. I didn't think that they had to spell that _reason_ out for me. I knew, even though I had grown up a little, that I would still beat the shit out of the bitch. Grown up or no. She deserved it.

They had, as I learned from one of the Guardians, not Dimitri himself - I figured he couldn't stand the sight of me right about then- that she had been blind folded and gagged, hands tied behind her back with flex cuffs. They wanted to take all precautions that she couldn't use her magic to compel or any fire to get away. Again. Smart of them. And that a Spirit wielding Moroi was the one guarding her in the holding bay. Go figure. A Moroi Guardian. It was almost laughable.

All in all, Dimitri's posse consisted of three dhampirs and the one Moroi, including Dimitri himself. He had himself quite a little group. But the most compelling and astonishing of all, was that the two Guardians traveling with him were women. Nicca and Lila. Lila was the polar opposite of Nicca.

Where as Nicca had long hair -which I learned was a light shade of brown- Lila's was strawberry blonde, cut pixie short, allowing her to show off her _Promise mark_ and all eleven_ Molinja_ marks, along with a_ Zvezda, _just like the one that I had tattooed on the back of my neck. She stood about five nine or five ten. Lean build, but ripped with muscles.

This was one woman that may just give Dimitri a run for his money in the badass department. Not that she scared me or anything, but I really wouldn't want to have to go head to head with her. Well, on second thought, everyone could use _some_ improvement, whether she was teaching me, or vice-versa.

But I would rather take on Tasha. Even if she did wield her fire magic on me. She wouldn't get lucky a second time. I could promise you that. She wouldn't have had a chance to. I would've been on her like stink on shit.

Nicca had rode to the strip with Dimitri, of course. Fine. Whatever. But what really pissed me off was they were the one's carrying Tasha. By the time we reached them, she had already been loaded in a holding cell. The cell, Lila had told me, was magically warded just like any other cell at Tarasov. She had also told me that that was one of the planes that carried its' prisoners to and from court, prison, relocation, whatever was necessary. Made sense, seeing as how they did have to be transported to those things. I had never gave it a thought until that moment.

Lila and the Moroi had loaded up on the plane ahead of us. The pilot was the only one that was waiting at the stairs when we had got there. Angeline started up the stairs. When she saw I wasn't following her, she turned and started walking back down. We hadn't spoke the whole car ride, but she knew I was having a lot to deal with, and she didn't push me. She knew I would talk in my own time.

"Hey," she said softly. "you okay?" She rested her hand on my arm, brushing some of my hair out of my eyes with the other. "Can you do this?"

I gave her a weak smile. She returned it vaguely. "We can hop in that SUV right now and jet. They couldn't get off that plane fast enough to catch us. We could do it, Rose. Just say the word, and we're gone."

I laughed softly, causing her to smile wider. "Of course you would, wouldn't you? What have I created? You're just a Mini-Me, aren't you?" I laughed a little louder, and she broke out into a broad grin.

"There's worse things I could be. You know that, right?" She batted her eyelashes at me. "Prom Queen, bank robber, Tasha."

She knew exactly what to say to cheer me up. Although the jitters still didn't leave me, I was feeling a little better. We both burst out into laughter.

"It's time. We need to get in the air." Dimitri's gruff voice came from the door of the plane. Maybe he was watching to see if we would bolt after all. Not that I would have thought he would give chase. He had already promised me he wouldn't force me to go back against my will. This was my decision and mine alone.

"Come on," I said, tugging on Angeline's arm. "We have a party to attend. You did bring your party dress, right?"

"Party jeans, you mean. Yup," she said, making a sweeping gesture with her arm. "Got 'em on. Cant you tell?"

She let me drag her up the stairs with me. I was squeezing a little harder than necessary, but she didn't say anything. She just let me pull her with me.

We made it through the hatch of the plane, the pilot hot on our heels. I guess he had a hot date back at court.

Angeline and I took a seat all the way in the front of the plane. I didn't want the back. That was were Dimitri and Nicca where seated. And by the looks of it, they were in deep discussion over something. Probably me. Maybe she was the jealous type after all?

I took the window seat and Ang sat on the aisle. Before she took a seat, she grabbed us each a bottle of water, and a bag of chips; seeing as we had missed dinner and all.

The plane had just started the engines and was starting to move down the runway when I looked out the window, and saw something that made my blood run cold.

My breath hitched in my throat, and my heart dropped into my stomach.

Standing right beside the SUV that we had arrived in was Victor Dashkov and his loony brother Robert.

_I thought Nicca took care of him?_

I didn't realize that I had said it out loud 'till Angeline leaned over and asked me, "Huh?"

I was up and out of my seat before I even knew I was moving. I was at the hatch of the plane in a fraction of a second, trying to open it. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and barely was aware that someone was talking to me. All of my blood had rushed to my ears, making me all but deaf.

"What are you doing? You cant open that! We already started our assent." It was Dimitri.

I spun around to face him, his hand never leaving my shoulder. "You have to stop it!" I shouted. "V..Victor and, and Robert-" I turned around again, pulling on the handle of the door. Why wouldn't this damn thing open?

He removed his hand, voice returning to normal. "Victor is dead, and Robert is missing, Rose. Remember? You killed Vic-"

I cut him off. My voice was piercingly loud. "Victor and Robert are right out there," I said, pointing at the door in which I was trying to violate.

He grabbed my hand and spun me back around to face him. "No, their not."

I looked him levelly, eyes narrowed. "Yes, they are! Take. Your. Hands. Off. Of. Me," I said, teeth clenched, voice hard. Poison was dripping in every drawn out word. "Look for your self."

He dropped his hands to his side like I had just bit him and gave him rabies. Dimitri gave me a doubtful look, but I guess he decided to humor me. He went to the closest window and peered out. I saw his eyes go wide. Shaking his head, he returned his gaze to me.

"There's nothing we can do about it now."

"What the hell do you mean by that?" I demanded.

"It means we will have to catch him again. We cant stop the plane once it is making an assent." He said it like I was a little slow, which just infuriated me more.

I whirled around, facing Nicca who was only a step behind me. I put my finger in her face, shaking it. "I thought you took care of him with that damn potion Sydney gave you?"

She took a step back, -smart girl- and started stuttering, "I..I forgot. I .." She put her hands to her head, taking a seat in the nearest one. "Oh my God. What did I do?" she whispered to herself. "What have I done?"

I gave her a menacing look. "You mean, what _didn't _you do?" I corrected, using as much sarcasm as I could. Which was quite a lot considering the look that I got from Dimitri, but I ignored him and kept going. "The most wanted fugitive on the planet, _I took out_. _Killed_. _Got rid of," _I said firmly. "But you," I pointed my finger at her again. "You said you would take care of it and you _didn't!"_

"_Enough!_" Dimitri yelled, voice echoing in the plane. "That's enough, Rose," he said, voice quieter, although his face was as hard as stone. "That's enough."

Nicca was staring off into space, Lila was at her side. She was trying to calm Nicca down. She was rubbing her hand over her back in soothing circles. I caught the look Lila gave me. It was a nasty one. A _'Go fuck yourself'_ look.

Whatever. I could take her. If not, she would know that I would've been there, anyway. I would leave a few marks of my own. I knew the saying: "_There's always someone bigger and badder than you are," _but I wouldn't back down. I might just get a fight out of Lila after all.

Lila took her eyes off of me, returning to Nicca. "I forgot. How could I have forgot? I was too wrapped up with Rose. I just forgot. She's right. This is my fault," she whispered. I could see tears in her eyes, and there was a small part of me that did feel sorry for coming on so strong. A very small part though. But that was a major thing to forget. She was shaking her head, repeating softly, "I forgot." Over and over.

I didn't say anything else. I walked back up the aisle, passing Nicca and Lila -and Dimitri. I took my seat, pulling the pillow out, leaning my head on it against the window. I was so ready for this day to be over with. I could've really used a cigarette right about then, but that would have to wait till we touched down. Seeing as how I couldn't smoke on the plane and all.

"I'm going to sleep," I told Ang. "And aside from the plane crashing, no one better wake me up until we get there. Maybe not even then. Got it?" My words were harsh, but I was in a very foul mood, and I was venting. Angeline knew it, and knew I didn't mean anything about it toward her.

Angeline just nodded her head.

* * *

**Did you like it?**

**Leave me a review letting me know what you **_**think **_**is going to happen!**

**You all know that I like throwing in those curve balls!**

**I have a wicked little mind, don't I? Haha!**

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen**_


	32. Chapter 31 Firing Squad

**Hey, guys! **

**You are getting a lucky streak with all of the updating I have done in the last week!**

**Are you enjoying it? Or is it too many, too fast? Maybe I should slow down a little so you guys will REVIEW all of my hard work!**

**I love you either way! Hope you are enjoying!**

**Happy reading!**

**But first I want to give a few shout outs to:**

**jshagan, SassYNoles, VampGirl4EverandEver, rangarose, and Ellixie…thank you so much for your dedicated reading and reviewing of my work! Not that I don't appreciate all of you! I do; believe me!**

**I know you hate long A/N's, but I keep getting this same question in my pm's:**

_**Nicca? **_

**Need I say more?**

**I have gave hints and clues here and there, but you guys will just have to suffer a little while longer! Muuuwahaha!**

**I would love to hear your thoughts on what is going to happen! So let me know!**

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen**_

* * *

Whatever I thought I had been expecting when our plane touched down on the tarmac of the courts landing strip, wasn't what I got.

There were no armies of guardians waiting to take me into custody. No one was standing there wanting to throw rotten fruit at me. There were also none of my friends, -or ex-friends?- there, either. None of them. I thought for sure I would at least had been given some kind of fanfare. Be it arresting or aggression. I was sadly disappointed when I got neither one of them. Or was it sweet relief?

There were, however, Hans Croft and a regime of Royal Guardians there to take Tasha into custody. Everyone had to exit the plane, then they were going to board and bring her in by themselves as soon as the plane was empty of its occupants.

I was the first person off the plane. I thought, _The hell with it, let's get this done and over with as soon as possible. May as well jump out of the frying pan and into the fire! _Why delay the inevitable?

The moment my feet hit the ground I put my hands in front of me, waiting for Hans to slap on the cuffs. He did no such thing. He did give me a broad grin, though, covertly, not letting anyone else see it. A very fleeting smile, but I had saw it. I also caught the wink he had given me. Then his face turned back into the Guardian Sentry that he was.

This gave me pause, but I shrugged it off. I knew what was about to come my way, and I was preparing for it as best I could. Jail. Imprisonment. Social isolation.

I stepped right up to him, coming only a foot apart. "Guardian Croft," I said, giving him a confused look when he didn't reach for his flex-cuffs right away. "Ready to be brought in, sir." My voice was formal, strong, respectful; unlike the mockery that I was sure he thought he would get from me. I had to give this man the respect he deserved. He was, after all, one of the ones who had aided in my great escape.

The first escape from the court's _jail,_ that is. Not from the court _itself._ Mikhail was the first one to aid in my escape that time.

How many escape's was I up to right now? _Four, five? Six? At least six; I think. _Cant keep track of all the time I had busted out of this place or that place. I stopped keeping track a few break outs ago.

Hans had his hands folded behind his back, standing in a military position. "Rosemarie," he acknowledged with a nod of his head, looking down at my hands that I still had held out in front of me, a spark of amusement dancing in his eyes. "What are you doing?"

My brows knitted together in confusion. Wasn't I going to get arrested? Interrogated? I thought I was coming home…not home -this had never been my home, only a place in between stops of my chaotic life-…to a lynch mob?

I dropped my hands to my sides, stunned into silence momentarily. Something that was very hard to accomplish with me. Very few things brought my words up short; but he had achieved that.

Angeline approached at my side, coming to stand as close as she could to me.

I thought she would've held my hand if so many people weren't around. I knew she had never been exposed to this kind of environment coming from a back woods commune. I also speculated that she was scared right out of her wits. Overwhelmed. Although I knew she would never have admitted to any of that to anyone. She was _way_ too much like me. She did me proud. I felt like a parent whos child just did something amazing and wanted to tell everyone they knew about it.

I knew I would have been totally abashed if I were in her shoes; not showing it of course.

I looked over at her briefly, trying to give her the reassurance that everything was going to be fine. Even though I had no idea if they would or wouldn't be, I still wanted to calm her fears. I tried to send the message through eye contact, but I couldn't be for sure if that was the message that she had received out of my gaze. We stared at each other only a moment longer, then I focused back on Hans.

"Aren't you going to take me into custody?" My voice gave away the same confusion that my face held. I thought for sure my voice would've quivered, allowing some of my apprehension to shine through.

His lips quirked, and I thought he would smile again, but he refrained. "For what? Being a hero? You caught the murderess of her Royal Majesty. Why would I want," he made a sweeping gesture with his arm, then brought it back to parade rest, "or any of our people, want you to be punished for that?" The way he said it made it sound like it was a no-brainer for him -or any one else that was present.

I searched his face for something, anything, that could explain to me why I was not being hauled off to the pokey, but he was all business now.

"Okaaayy," I said, drawing out the word. I knew I must have looked stupid. But after all that had happened in the span of three years, this just was confusing me farther for more than one reason.

The first being that _I was not the one to actually doing the catching._ It was true that I could have went after Tasha, but I had to go after the bigger danger: Victor. A Strigoi.

_Even though he still got away even after I staked his evil ass_, I though bitterly. He was the bigger threat of the two of them in that moment.

I had made that choice, although it really was one of the hardest decisions of my life. I had to eliminate a killing machine without a soul, compared to a killer who just wanted Tatiana and me out of her way. I didn't think she would actually kill an innocent bystander. But then again, you just never knew, did ya?

Was Dimitri giving me the credit for him and his people capturing Tasha? _They_ had been the actual ones who had taken her down. Even though Angeline had had her staked out, -no pun intended- until I could finish with Victor, and then catch up with her. Semantics, that's what it all boiled down to.

And the second thing confusing me: There was suppose to still be a warrant out for my capture. _What the hell? What changed?_ I wasn't going to question it in front of anyone right now, but I would ask Hans about it later.

I wasn't complaining in the least little bit that I wasn't being shoved into a cell, but I did want to know what was going on. All I had to go on for right now was speculation. I wanted to know the real reasons behind it. I could have easily picked Lissa's brain, but I didn't want to go there. Not yet.

I saw Hans give a hand signal to the guardians flanking him. They strode past Angeline and me, then up and onto the plane they went. I hadn't noticed that Dimitri and his posse had emptied out of the plane and was standing only a few feet behind us on the tarmac.

I turned and took in all the faces that were gathered around us. Dimitri was as far as away from me as he could get without it looking conspicuous. He wouldn't meet my gaze, but Nicca did. She had concern written all over her face. She approached him, speaking in urgent, hushed whispers -again. I saw his face harden and his body stiffen. I knew that look. He was shutting down. Locking everyone and everything out.

Whatever. It wasn't like I was going to hang out at court for very long anyway. I was getting the hell out of here as soon as I could. I wanted to see Tasha sent to prison -or executed.

Either way, she deserved it. It wasn't like I was going to defend her. She should count her lucky stars that I hadn't been the one to _actually_ catch her. If I had, she wouldn't be coming back to court in one piece. I could guarantee that.

I heard a car coming toward us, pulling me out of my reverie. I turned to see who was coming. The black SUV came to an abrupt stop a few yards away.

When Eddie stepped out of the SUV, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I knew no matter how much time had passed between the time I had last saw him and now, our friendship would always remain the same. He would always be one of my best friends and confidants.

He sauntered over to where I was standing, not stopping till he had me in a bear hug.

"Cant…breath," I choked out. He released the pressure a little but didn't let go of me entirely.

"I have missed you, Rose," he said into my ear. Taking a step back so he could look at me, "You haven't changed a bit. Damn, Rose, it's like you never left!" Eddie had a huge goofy smile on his face showing brilliant white teeth. He moved his hands to my shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze then finally letting me go.

It was taking every ounce of me not to let my legs buckle. Although I did miss Eddie, that still didn't mean that this was where I wanted to be. But I was determined to not let my fear shine though. I would not let them take everything away from me. I had to hold on to my pride. That was all I had left.

I gave him a small smile, saying, "Hey, Eddo, you neither." Well this was getting awkward really fast. I didn't expect that. Not from Eddie. I reached out for Angeline so I could make an introduction. She complied, coming to stand at my side. "Eddie, this is Angeline, a very good friend of mine."

Ang gave him a smile, which he returned. "Hi," Angeline said.

"Nice to meet you. If I know Rose, you probably have picked up a little sumsum'in from her," he said, trying hard to make a joke to relieve some of the tension that was mounting at a rapid pace. I gave a snort, causing Eddie to laugh softly. And just like that all the tension melted away.

Eddie reached out to shake her hand -something Angeline hated to do. She hated that type of physical contact. She always said it was '_meaningless, no emotion, just formal crap!"_

Nevertheless, she reached out and shook his hand. She didn't do it for more than one shake, then pulled her hand back, resting it at her side again.

Eddie looked back at me and said, "Ready to face the firing squad?" he said it as a joke, but he just didn't know how accurate those words were to the feelings I was experiencing.

We followed him to the SUV in silence. We got in, me in front riding shotgun, Ang in the back; the others didn't ride with us. But I did see Dimitri's gaze tracking the vehicle as we pulled away.

He was just standing there, duster flapping in the wind that had picked up. Rain drops had started falling right when we got in the SUV, and I knew that they were raining down on him as well. The ones hitting the windshield of the SUV was causing everything to blur a little. But I could still see that he had a hopelessly, wistful look about him. _If there was such a thing?_

His hair had not been tied back, therefore the rain was causing it to stick to his skin here and there. His face had drops falling down his face dripping on his white Tee-shirt, causing a see though effect. Didn't hurt to look, right?

The sun was just dipping over the horizon, causing the Russian to emit a light glow around him like an angel. A very large, sexy, fierce, passionate, gorgeous, corded with muscle angel; but an angel, nonetheless. Dimitri pushed the hair that had stuck to his cheeks back, catching my eye even through the windshield and distance that separated us. My breath hitched in my throat at seeing the look that was in his eyes. It was like he knew I was staring at him and he wanted to bust me.

There was no message floating between us. It was just a bittersweet feeling. I thought there was a faint trace of a sad smile on his face, but I couldn't be too sure.

I also caught a glimpse of something shiny on his third finger of his left hand. My stomach knotted up, and my heart beat just a little quicker. He was definately my disease. Someone I couldn't move on because of. It was time for me to let go. In that one moment in space and time, I finally came to that realization.

_It was time for me to try to move on before this heart of mine took too much more abuse and refused to beat anymore._

I dragged my eyes away from him reluctantly. Trying for a distraction, I closed my eyes, resting my head against the window, and focused on my inner voice. The one that always got me in trouble.

_I guess it really was time to face the firing squad._

And again, I say: _Fuck my life!_

* * *

**Don't forget to let me know what you think is going on with Nicca!**

**I love to hear all of your guess's and speculations!**

**Thank you for reviewing my story! It really does inspire me to keep writing for you guys!**

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen**_


	33. Chapter 32 Huh?

_**Here we are with another chapter!**_

_**Okay, guys, things are going to be moving at a rapid pace from this chapter on! I know some of you arent going to like a certain paragraph I put in here, but it's how I personally feel about a certain something. Not everyone agree's with all that I do, but we all have our own feelings about some things. I'm sure you'll be able to pick out what it is exactly. So dont crucify me for it! Plz?**_

_**Now, on with the show!**_

_**Happy reading!**_

_Much love,_

_~~~Carmen_

* * *

Apparently, I was being avoided by everyone. Suited me just fine. I wasn't in the mood for company anyway.

Not that I expected everyone to drop everything just because I was back. I knew things were going to take a little time with the Tasha situation, and I knew that I could wait. Forever hopefully. Or would that be worse torture?

When we made it back to the court proper, Angeline and I was given a suite. There was a large living area with two bedrooms; each with their own bath.

_Nothing but the best within the palace walls_, I thought dryly.

I was sitting in the lap of luxury within the confines of the palace. There was no room from the Guardians' buildings waiting for us. Nope, no way.

We were immediately escorted to our suite, and asked to remain in it until someone came for us. I guess, in a way, that was the equivalent of being under lock and key. Only it wasn't a grey prison cell; it was a beautiful work of art.

Everywhere you looked in the room were ancient antiques. By the looks of it you would have thought you were somewhere in a historical museum. There were sculptures here, elaborate paintings there. A chandelier hung in the middle of the room, adorned with what looked like crystals.

I would imagine with the right light, or if the sun was allowed to flow into the room, via windows or the French doors, it would have given off beautiful prisms. It was absolutely stunning. Giant flat screen television. Pool table. Game consoles that I had absolutely no idea how to work -and neither did Angeline. There was a bar stocked with any and all types of alcohol. Something I took advantage of right away.

I immediately poured me a White Russian -go figure- grabbed my smokes, and headed for the French doors that had a balcony with wrought iron railings securing the area. There was patio furniture on it, a table with an umbrella and four chairs. There were no ashtrays, but the hell with it. _I needed a smoke in a major way!_

The view was probably one of the best ones here, besides the royal living quarters' themselves. We had a second story view, and it was breathtaking. The rain had fizzled out, and the stars were twinkling in the distance under a full moon.

The Moroi day was in full swing down below. I could see people scurrying about, and caught snatches of conversations here and there. A lot of them had Tasha's name somewhere in the mix of the buzz. There was no doubt in my mind that the best gossip around court had to be about Tasha or myself.

The former was probably getting more gab time than the latter. I knew how that gossip mill worked, and I bet it got started the minute someone had called in for the plane to bring us in. It was a very fine gossip network that they had going on around here. Everyone loved to gossip with juicy details about this or that latest rumor, but the Moroi were notorious for it.

I turned my head when I heard the fridge slam shut in the little kitchenette. I saw when Angeline flopped down on the oversized stuffed sofa. Grabbing the remote in one hand, balancing a sandwich in the other, she flipped on the T.V. to a music station, turning it on probably as loud as it could go, and chowed down on her sandwich.

We really hadn't talked much since we arrived, but I liked it better that way. I wanted to get my head on straight before I had to see Lissa. You would think that reuniting with your best friend would be calm and soothing. Something to be excited about.

But not for me. I was stressed to my limit.

I guess it could've been because I just skipped out on her without a word in over three years. I knew her life had changed in a major way since the last time I had saw her in person. And I wasn't expecting her to be the same person she had been when I had left. I just hoped that a little of that person _was_ left in her. If only a little.

She had gained a sister, became queen, got married, had children, and on top of all of that, had still managed to graduate top of her class in college. Wow. That was some serious life achievements. Something I would've never been able, and possibly, not wanted to do.

Well, I couldn't say _able. _Able _was_ in my vocabulary. I had achieved some pretty amazing things in my life. Not that I'm tooting my own horn; just stating the obvious.

I took a long, slow drag off of my cigarette, blowing it out in small circles. I had my drink half chugged when I heard voices wafting up to me from down below. The voices sounded very familiar. I hated to eavesdrop, but when I heard my name in the din, I just couldn't help it.

I moved closer to the railing, not leaning over, but getting as close as I could without anyone spotting me. I couldn't hear it all, but I got the bits of it.

"…she's here, and you better deal with it, or _I_ will, Dimitri!" That was Nicca.

I snuck a peek over the railing. Taking a chance that they weren't looking up. Peering down, I could see that Dimitri and Nicca were standing close enough that I could have spat on them -if I had _wanted _to.

Dimitri's hands were balled up into fist at his side. I couldn't see his expression, but I could just about imagine it by his posture and the sound of his voice.

"It's not…she and I …over…" he said. It was only bits and pieces, but there was enough that I could figure out what was going on.

They were talking about me. Obviously they were having a lovers quarrel with me being the focal point in the discussion.

Nicca cupped Dimitri's face with the palms of her hands, looking him square in the eyes. "Deal with it soon, Dimka," she said in her heavily laced Russian accent, speaking loud enough now that I could hear the whole sentence.

I hated that name. Dimka. That was what Tasha had always called him. The first time that I had ever heard it had been out of her mouth. So now I always associated it with her. Even though his family also called him that. I just couldn't help but hate the damn nickname.

"You and I have been together for a long time," she continued, looking him in the eyes even though she was a foot shorter. "And I would hate to leave it like this. I would hate to have to leave _you_ like this. There is only so much you can handle before things blow up in your face."

"Are you giving me an ultimatum, Nic? Is that what you're doing?" His voice was smooth, cool, but held a bit of astonishment in it. It also held a challenge.

"You've been pining after this girl for over three years now -"

"_Pining after this girl?"_ Dimitri roared. "How can you stand there and say that to me? You've been with me for two years now! When did I have _time_ to '_pine after this girl?" _His voice held an incredulous note to it.

_That was my sentiments exactly. He _pined_ after me?_

I sat squatted down, leaning against the railing with all of my weight. If it would've gave way I would've tackled the lovers directly below me.

I took another pull of my cigarette. Holding it in until I thought I would choke. Choking not because of the smoke, but losing my breath by her next words.

"You _have _and you know _it_! You just don't want to admit it to _me!_ _To yourself! _Do something about it, or move on!" There was a challenge in her own voice now.

I could see some of the people below stopping to give them stares, but the couple just ignored them.

Without another word, she reached up and kissed him on the cheek, then turned on her heel heading toward the Guardians' guest building.

Wow! That was a real blow up in his face if you ask me. Didn't look like Nicca had to wait too long for it to do so, either.

I emptied the contents of my glass, and made haste in pouring me another drink; gulping it down just as fast as I could. If I had to be here, then I would definitely have something to calm my raging nerves while I was.

By the time Angeline came looking for me, I only had maybe a shot left in the Vodka bottle. Not the American Vodka. The Russian kind. The kind that felt like liquid fire had been poured down my throat the first couple of drinks. After my third one, I was feeling no pain. Emotional or otherwise.

"Hey," she said quietly. "are you alright?" She looked at the table, then looked back at me disapprovingly. "Jesus, Rose! You're sauced! Have you even ate today?"

I looked up at her; seeing double. Well, it was three vision's of her that I was seeing. So I picked one and focused it. I must've chose wrong, because she tilted my head a little. There she was. Now I could only see two.

_50/50 shot here, Rosemarie! Good odds!_

"What." I said.

She didn't say anything for a few moments.

I giggled aloud, which must've disturbed Angeline farther, because she tried to drag me out of the chair.

"You need a cold shower, Rose. One of the queen's guards just came by, and said she would like to see you in ten minutes." She scanned her eyes over me, tsking and shaking her head. "There is no way in hell you are going to be able to do this today. Son of a Bitch!" She then proceeded to pull me up, throwing one of my arms over her shoulder, wrapping one of hers around my waist.

"I lov..yur," I slurred. "Yur naw dat, ight?" I giggled again, earning another disproving look from Ang.

Hair flew in my face, and I tried in vain to get it out of it, but I couldn't. My face felt numb, and my fingers were just a little to loose for their own good. So was my neck. They wouldn't do what I wanted. So I resorted to just trying to blow the hairs away. I didn't have enough breath for that either.

"You are beyond sauced! I bet your blood alcohol alone could kill you! You're going to bed to sleep this off. Right now!" she snapped.

We fumbled and tripped -well, _I _did. But Angeline caught me every time. By the time we made it to my bedroom, I was snot crying. Sad. But true. What is it about liquor that makes people do that?

Angeline sat me on the bed, pulling off my shoes and helping with my sweatshirt. By the time I was deemed suitable to sleep I was only wearing my panties. I must've took my bra off, cause I know Angeline didn't do it. Although how? I had no idea seeing as I had jelly fingers.

Still sniveling, using my shirt as a hanky, I buried my head in the pillow. From somewhere far away I heard Angeline telling someone that I had to sleep for a bit. I didn't last long enough awake to hear the rest of what she said before I passed out cold.

* * *

"Mrs. Rhea?" I said. I had always called her that. Mainly because she wouldn't let me call her _Lady Dragomir. _If my mom would've known that she would've given me a lecture. I was sure of that. "Where's Lissa?"

Rhea Dragomir, Lissa's mother, stood before me in my old room back at the academy. She walked over to my bed, taking a seat beside me. She had kind eyes and a warm heart. This woman was practically my mother as well as Lissa's. I had grown up being surrounded by her and her family. More than my own, that's for sure.

A small part of my brain was trying to process why I would be dreaming about her and not her daughter. But I had no clue as to the why of the matter.

"Rose," she said in a warm, melodic voice. "It's time for your reprieve. Lissa is strong now. She can watch after her self."

I couldn't understand what she was trying to tell me. Did she mean that she didn't want Lissa to hang out with me anymore? Did I do something wrong?

"But…but, I love her! She is my best friend, Mrs. Rhea! What did I do? Why don't you want us to be friends anymore?" I cried, tears starting to descend down my cheeks. I had never known her to be cruel or judging, but what she was getting at sounded like the worst torture available.

She smiled at me, shaking her head slowly. She brought a hand up to my face, brushing a stray lock out of my eyes.

"You've done nothing and everything, honey. It's time for Lissa to stand on her own now. It's time for _you_ to have a life of your own. Do your own thing."

Confusion stuck me to my core. She must have seen this, because she added, "The gift in which was bestowed on you will be lifted once you wake, Rose. She has to stand on her own two feet now. Do you understand, honey?" She gave me that warm smile again, and rose from beside me. She rested one palm against my cheek, stroking it gently with the pad of her thumb.

I sat there sniveling and shaking my head. I didn't understand any of this, let alone what she was trying to tell me.

"Now's the time. You have done well." She was starting to vanish. Literally. Right in front of my eyes. Her yellow cotton sundress blowing in a breeze that didn't exist in my room.

"Tell Vasilisa her father and I are proud of her. Tell her that we love and miss her. But also tell her we are in no hurry to see her anytime soon. Can you do that, Rosemarie? Can you do that for us?" Her voice sounded ethereal. She _looked_ ethereal.

"Wait," I said, jumping up from my seated position. "What do you mean by that?" I reached out to grab her wrist, but my hand went right through her. My question went unanswered.

"Tell her that for us." That last sentence echoed around my room, seemingly never to stop repeating.

I gasped and bolted upright in bed. I was broke out in a cold sweat, and had trembling hands. Tears streaking my face, the same as in the dream.

_What the hell was that? Was that real? No. That was just a dream. _

An _alcohol_ induced dream, but a dream nonetheless.

* * *

_**And here we are at the conclusion of another chapter!**_

_**~~~Carmen**_


	34. Chapter 33 Insight

**Okay, guys, I'm doing something a little different with this chapter.**

**I thought I would give you some insight on Dimitri.**

**I know all of you have been wanting this. Maybe that's why I haven't been getting reviews?**

**Forgive any mistakes; I didnt have time to beta this!**

**Hope you like it!**

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen**_

* * *

_**My POV**_

* * *

Dimitri stood there staring after Nicca; watching until her shadow faded into the blackness.

It wasn't very often he and Nicca would fight, but when they did, it got explosive. She didn't back down from him; from anyone. She told him what she thought and how she felt about whatever was bothering her.

Although, this should never have happened in public. Dimitri was not one to air his dirty laundry in front of others. He knew he and Nicca had drew the attention of a few people. But at the time, he just didn't give a rat's ass.

It was true what she had just told him, and she had called him on it. Just like he knew she would. But he didn't want to admit it to anyone, let alone himself.

He _had_ been pining after Rose.

He knew on some level that it had shone through to others. But he thought they would all get over it. Especially if they thought he and Nicca were an item.

And they had.

Even though they weren't. Yes, at one time she had been sort of a girlfriend of his; not anymore, though. That had been a very long time ago. High school days. To him that felt like lifetime ago.

For the last two years she had been nothing but a very good friend. He didn't bother to correct anyone on the point of them being lovers. Mainly because he didn't want to out Nicca and Lila.

_They_ were the ones who were a couple. He knew how Moroi, and yes, even the dhampirs, felt about their kind being gay. About Moroi, too. It just wasn't …right?

In their eyes there were just too few of both races, let alone for them not to reproduce. A lot of Moroi, the majority, felt that all female dhampirs should at least bear one child, then go back into service as a guardian; leaving the child in the care of an academy.

Being gay to them was just a forbidden taboo. Something that just was not accepted among them.

Which, in his eyes, was none of their damn business. Everyone should be able to live how they wanted as long as no one got hurt in the process. As long as they were happy about their choices. As long as they did what was for the best for _their selves._

He couldn't and wouldn't stand for anyone criticizing his friends.

He also knew that once it came out, they were in for a world of gossiping. He didn't want to stand by and let that happen. Nicca and Lila were some of his very close friends; gay or no.

They had been with him through all of the turmoil that had took place while he was hunting for Rose. Hunting and hurting. They had stood by him. Those ladies had help ease his pain.

Some thing's you just couldn't repay no matter how hard you tried. That debt that was just too high.

Everyone already had an idea that Lila was a lesbian, but they didn't even suspect that Nicca was. And he preferred to leave it that way. Not because he thought it was wrong. He just didn't want her getting hurt by all of the judging that was sure to follow once their world found out about it. She was kind of a sensitive soul. She got her feelings hurt very easily.

She was one of his very best friends. They both were.

He hated to argue with Nicca, but he knew she had been right. He did need to talk to Rose. He had to get closure. One way or another he would make her talk to him. Eventually.

He stood there twirling the gold band on his finger round and round. Something he had come to do so very often. It sort of had became a mechanism for his stress release.

The same ring in which his grandmother had given to him. It had been given to her by his Moroi grandfather. The band had actually belonged to his grandfather. It had come in a set. It was a set of wedding bands. His grandmother had gave him both of them.

Yeva's wedding band was tucked away underneath his shirt; hanging on a chain, along with Rose's nazar. He had never gave it to Lissa. He did give her the chotki though. That had belonged in her family; not with him.

His grandparents had been very deeply in love. His grandfather had been killed when his grandmother was pregnant with his mother.

His grandparents had planned on getting married before his grandfather was murdered by Strigoi's.

That was one little known fact in his world, but it was true. His grandmother had been his grandfathers guardian up until she had found out she was pregnant. She was not, however, a _blood whore. _She had set him straight on that point.

His grandfather had made her quit guarding him; or anyone for that matter. She had put up one hell of a fight about it, too. But in the end, his grandfather had won the battle.

And so, she had _'retired' _from her guardian profession. It was only a week later that there was an attack on his grandfather and his guardian. He had gotten another guardian, a male, and both of them had been killed in the onslaught.

Dimitri's grandmother had only told him the story once, when he was a child, but he had remembered it all the way up into his adult life.

He had learned later on that his grandfather had actually been from one of the royal families, but she wouldn't tell him which one.

And so to pay an homage of sort to his grandparents' love, he had engraved his and his love's nickname on both the gold band's.

Roza. Comrade.

The date that they had decided to not fight their relationship any longer was inscribed underneath the names. Though, the words were written in Russian and not English.

Band's that had been given to a woman in love, had passed the very same item's on to her grandson that was in love.

It didn't matter that he had put his and Rose's name's on the band's. There was only one woman in which he would ever have given that ring to. So it didn't matter about what was on them. No one else would be getting it besides her.

But by the looks of it, not even she would be getting it now. She had been giving him the cold shoulder ever since he had caught up with her. He knew she was lost at the moment. She had a lot of catching up to do with other people and not just him. So he decided he could bide his time.

There was still a small sliver of hope in him that one day him and Rose would get back together. And stay that way. He hoped.

When he had first came back from Russia two years ago with the band on, and Nicca by his side, everyone just assumed that it meant that he and her were together. In a relationship. No one ever questioned it.

Accept for Adrian.

He had put two and two together and came up with four. He had took one look at the band with the inscription, and knew immediately what was going on. But he never did out him for it.

He and Adrian had grown closer over the years. Confidants. Someone he could talk to about it, aside from Nicca and Lila. One thing he never would've thought possible.

But it had happened. One reason was because Adrian knew what he had been going through because he had gone through a similar thing himself.

Dimitri had saw the storm in Rose's eyes when she had spotted the gold band. He knew she had thought just like everyone else had:

He and Nicca were lovers. A couple.

And that was one of the reason's why Nicca had wanted him to talk to Rose. Explain to her that that was not the case.

Loving Rose had always, to him, been as easy as breathing. Easier, even.

Trampling around this city or that; this state or that; this country or that one; Nicca had known how it was hurting him time and time again when they failed find Rose.

She had always known. So had Lila. And they were concerned for him.

Motel after motel, them seeing how disappointing it was for him not to find her had been crushing to them as well.

He could understand how Rose had been thinking, but he still wanted to hear it from her for his self. If things had been reversed and he was the one endangering her, he supposed he would've done the same thing she had. He would have bailed on her for her own safety.

He would've done anything to keep her out of harms way, too. He always did want to keep her safe. Even at the expense of his own happiness.

He stomped across court, heading in the direction of the Guardians' boarding area. All the way there he couldn't help but think about those first few weeks after Rose had ditched him.

* * *

**_Flashback: A little over 3 year's ago._**

_With Rose gone, once he got discharged from the hospital, he went back to the Royal Court. Hoping that she would contact Lissa and possibly even him._

_For weeks on end he would wake up in a fog of disbelief that she had really left him in that hospital. It took nearly six months before he truly accepted that she would not be returning. Nor calling him for help._

_Calling him for anything._

_That was the most alone he had ever felt in his entire life. He knew there were rumors back at the academy that he was a loner, but those rumors would be substantially larger if they had been spread around in that point of his life. Mainly because he was substantially more of a loner than anyone thought possible. Even him._

_A whisper of his removal to life had traveled far and wide across court. He had become something of a living corpse._

_There was no one to talk to about the day he was having. No one to laugh with over a silly joke. No one to lean on him; or one for him to lean on._

_No one period._

_No body was really too baffled about his actions; they all knew it was related to Rose._

_At one point, he just wanted to shut out the world and everything in it. He just wanted the world to stop turning so he could fly right off the surface of it and disappear into outer space._

_Eventually he went back home to his mothers house. He packed his duffel bag on a whim and took the first plane there. A sudden and wordless departure. He didn't tell anyone bye, nor where he was going._

* * *

**_Flashback 2 1/2 years ago._**

_His grandmother was waiting on the porch when he arrived. Not like that was some kind of a shocker. He knew she had a gift. And she had foreseen his arrival home._

"_Dimka," she said. "How nice of you to come see me before I grow too old and not remember your name." She tried to make it sound sarcastic, but they both knew she understood what had been happening to him. _

_He gave her a tired smile. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her on the cheek. "It's good to see you, Grandmother." They both spoke English; not reverting to their native tongue._

_They were alone in the house all that day and most of the night. She had told him what she had laid witness to ever since he had been turned. And everything since him having his soul returned. It was truly uncanny how she would know of such things; it alwys had been._

_She also told him that he would find love again._

_He didn't believe that last part. _

How could he find love again without his Roza?

_She had just gave him a rueful smile and a knowing look, but didn't discuss it any farther._

_He had stayed at his mother's house, moping for over a month. No one wanted to make him discuss his problems. Everyone knew he was in pain. _

_One day his grandmother came to his room and gave him a rude awakening._

"_Boy, you have wallowed in your own self pity long enough," she'd said. "It's time for you do get your carcass out of this room and back out into the world."_

_He didn't dare tell her that he didn't want to be out in the world. He didn't dare tell her he had lost everything that had meant anything to him. _

_Mostly for fear of her anger. That, and a switch across his backside._

_She may have been half his size, but she had a mean streak a mile wide. She wouldn't hesitate to remind him of that, either._

_And so, with that visit, she proceeded to kick him out of the house. He knew she meant nothing by it._

_She only wanted him to get back on his own two feet again. Before he left that day, she approached him. She was just like a mother bird trying to make her baby bird fly for the first time. Trying to make him realize that he did have the courage and strength that she knew was already laying within him. The things that he didn't see or couldn't feel at the time._

_Looking him levelly, she said "Love will find it's way to you, my Grandson." She looked deeply into his eyes; as if she were searching for something. She must have found it , because he saw the glint shine in her own eyes._

_"Believe me or not, Son, it will. And when it does, just be patient and kind. That's what love is all about. it's a give and take relationship." She reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She patted it with one hand, and said, "Now, off with you. The sooner you leave the sooner you will find love." _

_She gave him a long, lingering look. And then she gave him a wide grin. It took him aback because he had never seen her do that before. He smiled back at her, giving her a nod. _

_She pressed something cold and hard into the palm of his hands. He looked down at his hands when she brought her's away. _

_There, laying in the center of his palm, were two gold bands. He had seen them before and knew exactly what they were. He started to protest, but she shook her head sharply; not wanting to hear any objections._

_He stashed them in the front pocket of his jeans, feeling the cold metal through the fabric._

_Then he walked down the porch steps and never looked back._

_That was the day he had met up with Nicca and Lila. Ever since then they had been partners in a great search for Rose and Tasha._

* * *

Dimitri finally made it back to his room. He didn't bother about turning on a light; nor taking a shower. He just kicked off his shoe's and went to bed. Hoping that the next day a miracle would happen.

* * *

_**Now don't you feel bad about trashing Nicca? Hmm?**_

_**Do you feel a little bit better now that you know what is going on with our favorite Russian?**_

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~Carmen**_


	35. Chapter 34 WTH?

_**Hi, guys. Sorry I haven't been able to update sooner, but I have been having to take my son back and forth to Children's Hospital. They think he has Crohns Disease. We are going through a very trying time right now, and I havent had much time to write. My son is in pain 24hours a day, 7days a week. I will try to update when I can, but I cant promise anything.**_

_**I also have been having trouble with my keyboard. There are a lot of my keys that seem to want to work only when they want to. So if there is an error, it means that I couldn't correct it with spell check. Sorry. I tried.**_

_**Much love,**_

_**~~~~Carmen**_

* * *

I woke up with a killer hangover. It took me a few minutes to remember where I was exactly. I peered around the fancy bedroom in confusion. After a few blinks, recognition kicked in. Stumbling out of bed - naked, only with my panties on- I shot straight for the shower. Hoping it would help ease this pounding headache. I turned on the knobs, adding a little more heat than was necessary.

I stood under it till the water started running cold. I hurried and washed my hair and body. Grabbing a toothbrush that was still in the wrapper, I scrubbed at my teeth and tongue, trying desperately to get the residual alcohol out of my mouth. Which, by the way, was a very difficult task. No matter how long I brushed my teeth and scrubbed my pallat and tongue, it still felt like I had fur growing in my mouth. Finally, After the fourth try at it, I just gave it up and made due with the good that I had done.

There was a plush white robe with a pink rose stitched on each of the pockets hanging on the back of the door, nice and fluffly. I slipped it on, marveling at the comfort I got from it. There were also a pair of furry pink slippers that was there for the taking. I slipped those on too. Thank the heavens for something comfy.

I padded my way into the kitchenette, almost walking straight into Angeline. She stood there smirking at me, one hand on a slender hip, the other propping her head up with her elbow on the counter. She stood there watching my every move. I had no doubts that she knew that I was in pain, and she was probably reveling in the fact.

Yup. She was. Her face said it all. Amusement dancing over her beautiful features. I just proceeded to ignore her. I knew it was coming. _I just knew it._

"Good evening, Mrs. Vodka." She was just enjoying this way too much for her own good.

I gave her a glare as I walked past her. It had no effect what so ever. She just snorted, and chuckled softly. I stumbled to the fridge, grabbing the O.J. and a glass. I poured me a hearty helping. Popping a few aspirins, I chased it with the contents of the glass.

I took a deep breath, turning to face my young friend. Seeing her about to antagonize me, I held up my hand to her. "Don't," I said quietly. "Just don't," I said, holding one hand up to her, voice kind of hoarse. "I have a major headache, and I'm not in the mood. Okay?"

She nodded and didn't say anything right away. She stood there watching me intently. After a few shaky breaths, she started to say something, "Rose, there's someth-" I held up my hand, silencing her, shaking my head -which hurt due to the headache.

"Not right now, Ang. Please." My voice was low but firm, leaving no room for arguement.

"But..." said Angeline. "It's important."

I didn't look at her. "I'm going to get dressed. We'll talk later. Okay?" I didn't wait for a response. I was in a real bitchy mood. True, it wasn't Angeline's fault for my hangover, but I just wanted a little down time before I had to deal with another 'crisis'.

I finished my drink, then went back to my room so I could dress. Once done pulling myself together, I went back in the living room so I could discuss a few things with Ang.

She was sitting on the couch flipping through channels on the TV, feet propped up on the coffee table. She didn't even look up when I came back into the room. I couldn't blame her, not after the way I had behaved and treated her earlier. "Hey," I said, flopping down on the overstuffed couch beside her. I nudged her with my elbow. "Sorry about the attitude earlier." I hated to have any tension between us. It was very, very rarely that her and I would have an arguement. Mostly due to the fact that we agreed on almost everthing. It seemed at times that we were made from the same mold.

_Yeah, _I thought,_ wait 'til the folks at court gets a load of a Mini-Rose-Hathaway in their midst._ The thought made me chuckle out loud. These people just didnt know what was headed their way.

She quit her channel surfing so she could look at me, one brow quirked, giving me a wide brilliant white toothed grin. "No biggie. I knew what to expect, Rose. This isn't my first rodeo with your hangovers." This was true. Although, she said it in such a way that one would have thought that I would've gotten sloppy drunk every night of the week. Which definately was not in my repatoire.

When she first joined up with me, I had become quite the drinker. Almost, but not quite, as bad as Adrian. Or, well, how he used to be. I was at a low point in my life, trying to drown out my sorrows of losing so many people in my life in a bottom of a glass. No, make that a bottle, or _bottles_. Which didn't work out so well.

I smiled at her. "You're right, but still. I do owe you and apology. I'm sorry, Ang. Really." I knew that that was as far as she would let me go; she didnt like all that mushy, mushy girl stuff. Like I said before: A Mini Me, I didnt like that crap neither. Changing the subject, I said, "How do you like court?"

She scrunched up her nose. "I haven't seen much besides this room and it's four walls. Maybe you can show me around later?" I seen the hope shining in her eyes.

I shrugged one shoulder, smiling a small smile. "Yeah, maybe later."

Her face grew very serious. "The queen's guards will be here shortly. They came by while you were getting dressed. The queen wants to see you." She put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. "If you want, I'll go with you? You don't have to do this alone, you know."

At the mention of the queen, my body went stiff. She gave me one more shoulder squeeze, then dropped her hands to her lap, folding them together.

"Thanks, Ang, but I have to do this on my own. It's been a long time coming." I got up abruptly, grabbing my cigarettes from the counter. I yanked open the French doors and took a seat in one of the chairs on the balcony. I tapped out a smoke and lit it, trying to ease the tension in my stomach.

I knew I had to face this head on; just like all the other challenges I've had to face in my life. But it still felt good to have a friend that would not abandon me in a time of need. One true friend was worth more than all the money and power in the world to me.

I was halfway through my first cigarette when I heard Angeline come through the doors, joining me on the patio.

"Rose," Angeline said hesitantly, "there's something I have to tell you." I looked her in the eyes. There was something she didn't want to tell me, but she thought I should know. I could tell that by her voice and the look that was shining in her eyes. She took a seat across from me, her eyes scanning over everything but me. She was trying to not catch my gaze.

I nodded my head at her for her to continue. I was mentally preparing myself for the worst. She took a couple of breaths, blinking rapidly. "Um,… I went down to the front desk a couple of times today, and…every time I did...," she finally looked me in the eyes briefly, sympathy rooted in them, "...Dimitri was there."

I didn't say anything, so she continued, "He just sat there, never saying anything, but he watched me like a hawk." That sounded like the Dimitri that I had known. And loved...once upon a time.

At that moment something occured to me: We no longer knew, like _knew_, knew each other on that deep a level anymore. On any level really. It had been a long time ago, after all.

This was something that I would have to think about. A lot Hell, he may hate me for all I knew. Or simply had moved on to better things. Or a better woman, for that matter. Say, like Nicca, for example. He had a good thing with her, and I'd be damned if I was going to fuck that up for him. But then again, I may not even want him even if he did want me. Bring me back to the big question of: _Was-I-still-in-love-with-him _factor.

I was not, however, going to play the old _Does-he-love-me_? _Does-he-love-me-not_?_ -_game. I was definately not willing to go there. Ever.

"I think he's been waiting on you to come out of the room. I think he wants to talk to you," continued Angeline. Her eyes finally came to rest on a speck of dirt on the table.

I nodded my head, closing my eyes. What ever I was about to say died on my lips when there was a knock on the door. I took a deep breath and stood, casting one more look in Angeline's direction. There was pity written all over her face. She too knew that the guards had finally come to retrieve me, and I honestly think she did want to accompany me to see Lissa; for moral support. But I really didnt want her to. I had to talk to Liss alone. A one-on-one conversation that was just between her and I.

I stomped out my cigarette, and went to answer it. I knew who was on the other side already. I took a deep breath, fully expecting the queen's guards on the other side, only, it wasn't.

It was Adrian.

"Adrian?" My voice was a little unsure. Him showing up at my door had caught me off guard. Totally and completely leaving me baffled.

"Little dhampir," he chuckled, breezing in the door, wrapping me in a tight hug. I was so stunned I was rendered speechless. A very hard feat to accompish with me. But, nontheless, I was incapable of speech.

I was still trying to get past Adrian standing at my door; mouth gaped open, like a fish.

Eventually I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him back. I gave him a gentle squeeze, not knowing what else to do. It was really kind of awkward. But I shoved my apprehensions away, pulling back giving him a winning smile. If anything, Adrian was the worlds best at making you feel welcome -and not _so _awkward. Well, at least he tried to, anyway.

Finally I disentangled myself from him, and stepped back a few steps.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, not meaning it to come out the way it did; demanding. I quickly reiterated, "I mean, like, what are you doing _here_?"

I gestured for him to come inside. He strolled past me, planting himself on the loveseat. I closed the door just as Angeline came in the French doors. She looked at Adrian, then at me, giving me a questioning look. I shrugged my shoulders, sending the message : I have no idea.

I sat across from Adrian; Ang taking a seat along side of me. I cleared my throat a couple of times, my mind trying to grasping to find some common ground to start off a conversation.

This made him laugh heartily. "Rose. It's just me. Chillax. No worries, Little dhampir. Whose your friend?" He nodded to Angeline, who appeared to be mightily interested in her fingernails.

"This," I said, slinging an arm around her shoulder, "is my great friend Angeline. Ang, this is Adrian. You remember me telling you about him." She nodded, saying hello, then went back to studying her nails.

He raised an eyebrow about my comment. A broad grin slowly spread on his lips. "So, you talk about me. I knew it. Everyone keeps telling me I'm stuck on myself, but apparently everything I say about me is true. I'm fabulous. I knew it." He winked at Angeline when she looked up, causing a crimson blush to creep up her neck all the way to her cheeks.

I scoffed. "Don't flatter your self, playboy. I was just catching her up on my friends at court." I laughed in spite of my self.

"Playboy? I am a one woman man, Rose. Sydney is the love of my life, and I'm lucky she felt sorry for me and told me she would marry me. She is wonderful, you know. She completes me. I couldn't have asked for anything better; aside for present company." He gave me a toothy grin, but we both knew how much he had fallen for Sydney. They were a perfect match.

"Um, Rose, I'm going to take a shower. That is, if you don't need me?" She cast a meaningful look at Adrian.

I brushed her off. "Go ahead. We have a big day planned." She nodded to Adrian and then scurried out of the room. Angeline still wasn't too keen on being here at court. Being around the _'Tainted'_ -that was what her people back in Virginia had called those from mainstream court life.

Once she was gone, Adrian leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees, folding his hands together so he could rest his chin on top of them. A serious expression came across his face; something that I was just not used to seeing from Andrian. Then again, it had been three and a half years since I'd seen him in the flesh. As the saying goes: _Anything is possible._ Right?

"How are you? There were so many rumors flying around court. Not that I believed all of them, but some gave me pause. Was it true that Victor had turned Strigoi and you killed him?" asked Adrian, honest worry lacing his words.

I just blinked at him. He was never one to drag out a conversation. "Blunt much?" I said. But before he could answer, I nodded my head. "Yes. It's true. He had turned and I killed him. With Nicca's help, of course." I launched into what had happened back in Texas. When I was done, Adrian gave a soft whistle, settling back into the sofa.

"Lucky thing she was there," Adrian said, steepling his hands in front of him.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, and look where luck brought me." I made a grand gesture with my hand, sweeping the room.

Before he could say anything else, a loud siren, or horn, or something that was very loud went off.

Adrian sprang from the couch, rushing to the door abrubtly. I had never seen him like this. This was something that was _way_ out of character for him. He had shot up from his seat so fast that it took me a second to realize that he had even moved.

I caught up with him at the door. "What the hell was that?" I questioned, my voice almost at a yell so I could be heard over the howl of the alarm. I knew it didn't sound good, and I got this pang in my gut that told me it was bad. Something that was horrific.

He looked at me with panic in his eyes. "Lockdown. Something very, very bad is going on, and that is the signal that the queen has been compromised. All hands on deck. I have to get to my post."

I furrowed my brow. "Compromised how? What post?" He ignored my question. But he did give me a bone to chew on. A bone that he could've kept 'cause I didnt like the flavor, so to speak.

He opened the door and was about to bolt when I grabbed him by the elbow, forcing him to give me _some_ kind of information. "Strigoi, Rose! There are Strigoi at court!" Then he jetted out the door, not looking back.

Thank goodness I was already dressed; shoes and all. I launched after him; silver stake already in hand. I saw him reach for something from his coat. Something that looked like a potion. Wait. Not _a_ potion. A handful of potions. They were in little cyclinder's, no bigger than a firecracker; milky-white liquid inside them. I had no idea what they were for, or what they did, but he clutched them like his life depended on them. It very well may did. Something told me that whatever they were, they weren't to be taken lightly.

And, Lord help me, he had a silver stake of his own! Andrian fighting with a stake!

I was hot on his heels. With my own stake in hand, of course.

And Ang on mine, stake in hand. She had came dashing out of her room the instant she heard the shrieking noise, and was rushing after us. She knew trouble when she heard it. And she was not one to run away from a fight. If anything, she ran _toward_ it.

* * *

**_Hope you like it. _**

**_~~~Carmen_**


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